Eastern Partnership may become window to Europe for South Caucasian states

PanARMENIAN.Net - Eurocommission's Eastern Partnership initiative may become window to Europe for member states, especially for South Caucasian countries, Iris Kempe, Director of Heinrich Bell foundation, told a conference devoted to Eastern Partnership and prospects for democracy building in South Caucasus. According to her, South Caucasian countries should think about Euro-integration, but the initiative should be proposed by their governments.



In his turn, Polish Ambassador to Armenia Thomas Knote who represents Czech Republic's interests in EU said that "Eastern Partnership" and European Neighborhood Policy program aim at establishing closer ties between South Caucasian countries and the Union.



"Eastern Partnership", a Eurocommission initiative elaborated by Poland and Sweden, received the Union's approval during the December 3, 2008 Summit. In a founding meeting held in Prague on May 7, 2009, the following 6 post-Soviet countries were included in the project: Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. Within program frameworks, those countries will receive allocations of € 600 million by 2013.