| Author (Corporate) | European Commission: DG Communication |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Press Release |
| Series Details | IP/11/1122 (28.9.11) |
| Publication Date | 28/09/2011 |
| Content Type | News |
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Delegations of 32 EU Member States and partner countries as well as representatives of the main European Union institutions debated for two days on the future of the Eastern Partnership in Warsaw, 29-30 September 2011, and reviewed its achievements since it was launched in 2009, The Eastern Partnership is a Polish-Swedish initiative to bring ex-Soviet states closer to EU structures. The Warsaw meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint declaration, which sent a signal to the six partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) that the European Union was willing to assist them and talk about their European aspirations and forms of tighter integration. However, the ex-Soviet states which attended refused to sign the declaration, following the criticism of the human rights record of the regime of Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenko. The EU also expressed concerns about the Tymoshenko trial in Ukraine. Assistance to Belarus would be possible only on condition of fundamental changes in that country. ‘A full amnesty and rehabilitation of persons arrested after the elections, opening of talks with the opposition and holding of parliamentary elections congruent with OSCE standards - these are the conditions for launching a 'modernisation package for Belarus'. The Belarus delegation kept away from the meeting. The ongoing negotiations with Ukraine on an association agreement and a DCFTA agreement should be wrapped up by the end of 2011 and similar negotiations should be started with Moldova and Georgia. The Partnership countries were promised visa-free travel to the EU, as soon as they were ready. |
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| Source Link | http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/1122&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en |
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| Countries / Regions | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Eastern Europe, Europe, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine |
