European Union consolidates its position in the region

PanARMENIAN.Net - In this connection it should be reminded that French and British generals in Afghanistan have directly stated that it is absolutely impossible to defeat the Talibs and win the war. In fact, the generals have recognized the weakness of NATO and what is more serious, incorrectness of the US policy. But these are already details. Much more serious is the problem of Turkey's membership in the European Union. As you know, the most active adherent of Ankara's integration into the European Union used to be the USA. President George Bush even tried to "push" Turkey into the EU through its faithful ally, Great Britain. However, France and Germany were able to resist the pressure and did not yield. Today allegedly remaining the strategic ally of the US Turkey is in fact implementing its own policy, which often goes against the interests of Washington.

However, in connection with the latest events in the Caucasus and with the five-day war in particular, which, by the way, is very often called "Georgian-Russian", the force vector has changed. Perfectly realizing that his stake over the ocean is already lost, President Saakashvili is currently seeking help in Europe, and exactly in France. Visits of President Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Kouchner are apparently called to support the Georgian President, who bluntly trusted George Bush. However, neither France, nor Germany will aggravate relations with Russia because of a small country, which, however sad it may sound to Saakashvili, is of no strategic value. For the powerful world even the whole South Caucasus is no more than a territory for pipelines, and its population is an annoying but, alas, a required reality. Europeans utter general phrases about the necessity of a dialogue and renunciation of confrontation, which in regular language means "We are in crisis and winter is at hand. Solve your problems yourselves". Even if Russia is not able to cope with the crisis, it will surely have no problems with energy carriers.

As for Turkey, according to EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn Turkey should hurry with making reforms related to the process of her full membership in the European Union. "I would like to see Turkey move rapidly in its reform process. The EU and Turkey are acting united towards unification of their economies. Despite arising negative moments the process is moving ahead, and now talks are open on seven chapters of international dossier. By the end of the year further negotiation chapters of membership talks will be opened," Rehn said at the fifth Bosphorus Conference on EU-Turkey Relations.

Quite probably Turkey's activeness in the process of regulating the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as its attempts to improve relations with Armenia can be explained by its hopes to gain a soonest access into the EU. Despite the delayed and unfruitful war against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), this will bring considerable political dividends to Recep Erdogan's Government. The prolonged «antiterrorist» operation may simply end up with annexation of part of Northern Iraq, which, in its turn, might result in a new regional war, and it would be almost impossible for Turkey to rise from this war even with the help of the USA or Europe.

Karine Ter-Sahakyan