Enlarged EU To Expand Role In South Caucasus

27 May 2004 -- The newly-enlarged European Union today said it will expand its political, economic, and security cooperation with the South Caucasus region as part of its new European Neighborhood Policy.

Anthonius Devries, the EU's special ambassador to Azerbaijan, said an action plan is being drawn up to "strengthen the activities of the EU on cooperation and integration" with the three south Caucasus states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

Devries told a news conference the EU was ready to take a bigger role in international efforts to resolve the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The envoy said the specifics of the new relations between the EU and the South Caucasus would be hammered out over the next few months.

(AFP)