Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 29 /Trend, E.Aliyev/
In Warsaw, the EU and its Eastern partners will be meeting in the context of strong relationships, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton has said ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit in the Polish capital on 29-30 September, reported Trend with reference to ENPI press release.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Ashton said, "We are all committed to making the Warsaw Summit a success, and to giving renewed momentum to building the closest possible relations with our Eastern partners and neighbours."
Progress has been made on mobility, the High Representative said, citing the implementation of Visa Action Plans with Ukraine and Moldova and the new Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements with Georgia that had entered into force earlier this year. The EU aims to launch negotiations on similar agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus in the near future, said Ashton.
Citing the recent Review of the Neighbourhood Policy, Ashton said the EU would provide more support to civil society in the partner countries, in particular through a new Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility. She also said the EU would establish a new European Endowment for Democracy to support democratic change in the neighbourhood.
Turning to the conflicts in the region (in Nagorno Karabakh, in Transistria, in Abkhazia and South Ossetia) the High Representative said they were "perhaps the most concerning obstacles to progress."
"We expect our Eastern partners in the region to do their utmost to make progress towards peaceful settlement," said Ashton, adding: "Progress here will mean progress in our relationship as a whole."