South Caucasus still eyed as risk zone

PanARMENIAN.Net - Despite rapid progress, the South Caucasus is listed as a risk zone over the existence of frozen conflicts, EU special representative for South Caucasus, Mr Peter Semneby said.



"I first visited Georgia in 1992, when the country was in war. Presently, the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia has not been solved yet although there are no armed conflicts," Semneby said during the 'European Neighborhood Policy in Georgia' international conference in Tbilisi. "There is no evident progress in the settlement of these conflicts in Georgia, which causes instability in the country."



The special representative stated that elections will be held both in Georgia and Russia in 2008 and there is an opportunity to use new tools to settle the conflicts. "I think the Russian position and elections to the Federation will be relevant for Georgia," Semneby said.



According to Mr Semneby, the European Union will deepen its engagement in development of infrastructure in the conflict areas. The EU has developed several events, which will help the region to join and follow the European Neighborhood Policy, Semneby stated, Trend reports.