EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby has completed his mandate that he held since 2006, he said this at the final press-conference in Baku on Saturday, Trend reports. Semneby's mandate as special representative officially expires on February 28. According to him, too little progress has been observed in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the last five years.
"Certainly, there were positive aspects, for example, intensifying the negotiation process in 2008 after the conflict in Georgia. The parties of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict recalled about the danger due to the unresolved status of the conflict. The situation with Nagorno-Karabakh conflict raises concerns because the conflict does not exist in a vacuum, " Semneby said.
He said that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict raises concerns because the conflict does not exist in a vacuum. The changes in the sphere where it exists, may affect the conflict, he said. "I would call an arms race in the region among these changes," Semneby added.
He said that the EU supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and personally Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to advance the negotiating process.
The issue of abolishing the post of EU Special Representative in several regions, including the South Caucasus and Moldova - the outbreak of "frozen conflicts" is being discussed. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, made the proposal in May last year. According to her proposal, the post of the Special Representative must be combined with the post of the representative of the European External Action Service (EEAS).
It is still unknown who will deal with the issues of the South Caucasus region in the EU.
