EU welcomes opening of Armenian-Turkish border

EU representatives have given very positive reactions to the prospect of reopening the Turkish-Armenian border. They hope that this will facilitate the possible resolution of the Karabakh conflict. It will mean that negotiations between Turkey and Armenia as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan can be conducted.

Peter Semneby, the EU special representative in the South Caucasus, highlighted at a press conference in Baku that the Karabakh conflict is a serious concern for the EU. However the EU is not directly involved in the resolution of this conflict. According to Semneby the EU needs to see that all South Caucasus region borders are open, as this is a guarantee of the safety and economic development of the region.

The Azerbaijani side meanwhile expresses its concern about the possible opening of the Turkish-Armenian border loudly. A representative of the Press Service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has assessed the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border as a wrong step from both a strategic and tactical point of view. He also highlighted that the conflict in Karabakh is the major Azerbaijani foreign policy priority.