By Vestnik Kavkaza
The European Commission will contribute an extra 295 million euros to the Neighborhood Investment Facility (NIF) to support development of public and private sectors in the partner-countries of the European Neighborhood. The EU has signed treaties on deep and overall free trade zone with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Another three participating countries of the EU's Eastern Partnership program – Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Belarus – take a moderate position in their relations with Brussels.
Arthur Atayev, the head of the section for Caucasus research of the research center of problems of neighboring countries of the RISS, thinks that there are three matrices of the EU's behavior in the South Caucasus.
Armenia
“The very powerful, very strong, politically motivated policy statement of Serzh Sargsyan, which he made on September 3rd 2013, the basic balance of powers in Transcaucasia has actually changed and since September 2013 the process of Armenia joining the Eurasian Economic Union has intensified. The European Union is not abandoning its hope of keeping Armenia in its geopolitical, socio-cultural and mental space. In which it is expressed. Let me draw your attention to the next document, it was signed in the summer of 2013, and it is called a "memorandum of understanding on the establishment of unified support." According to the memorandum, from 2014 to 2015 Armenia will receive the amount of 140-170 million euros. To support initiatives that will strengthen the position of the European Union in this state,” Atayev says.
Azerbaijan
“Azerbaijan continues to follow such a multi-vectoral policy development. This is articulated in the statement of the head of the administration, Mr. Mehdiyev, and in the statements of President Ilham Heydarovich Aliyev. Despite this, the cultural and humanitarian components of the European Union remain in the focus of the European Union in Azerbaijan. Again, there is a document that confirms this. On July 14th 2014 a protocol to the agreement on partnership and cooperation was signed, according to which translocation towards a cultural component of the European Union expansion in Azerbaijan is made. It has specific financial evidence,” the expert thinks.
Georgia
“In Georgia, in parallel with the initialing of the Association Agreement, there is the next stage, a framework agreement on participation in the EU’s operations has been signed. Incidentally, in EU military operations. And the mission of the Georgian battalion in the Central African Republic eloquently confirms this,” Atayev is sure.
