Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.14 / Trend V.Zhavoronkova /
The Eastern Partnership program of the European Union (EU) will not be able to give fully the expected results, International European Movement (IEM) secretary-general Diego Pinto told journalists in Baku on Aug.14
"Potential plans do not always become a reality by 100 percent and the Eastern Partnership will not be able to give fully the expected results. But it is better to see the opportunities that the program will provide rather focusing on its failure to get realized," Pinto said at a news conference in the Trend Company.
According to Pinto, the Eastern Partnership provides a good opportunity for member-countries of the program to expand cooperation with Europe. One of the important tasks of the program is to develop civil society in six countries entering it.
The Eastern Partnership is the Polish-Swedish initiative in the neighborhood policy, aimed at improving the EU's relations with the post-Soviet countries. The program was approved at a meeting of the EU on March 20. Eastern Partnership will cover the six countries neighboring the European Union: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The program targets assisting talks on establishment of free economic zones and agriculture products, as well as partner and visa agreements. The project has been officially sanctioned in May 2009.
Pinto is on a visit to Baku upon the invitation of the IEM representation in Azerbaijan. Pinto's visit targets to discuss ways of implementing the East Partnership Program, undersigned by Azerbaijan and the EU, and discuss these issues with government and society, to give recommendations to the Government and public organizations on integration into Europe.
Pinto held meetings at the Presidential Administration and the Foreign Ministry and met with leaders of political parties and officials.
The International European Movement was established in 1948. Since establishment of the EU, the IEM has lobbied for further integration, on numerous subjects. In such countries as Azerbaijan, European movement is trying to help in the integration into Europe and become a member of the EU. It worked in favour of the direct election of the European Parliament by all European citizens, in favour of the Treaty on the European Union (the Maastricht Treaty) and also for a European Constitution.
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