"WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF A LONG ROAD"

The next summit of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) will be held in Riga on 21-22 May this year within the framework of Latvia's presidency in the Council of the European Union (EU). According to the Azerbaijan State Telegraph Agency (AzerTAc), the meeting will be attended by senior officials from 28 EU countries and six EaP partner countries, as well as the political leadership of the EU institutions, including President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. It is expected that the Riga Summit will endorse the strategic importance of EaP policy as part of the European Neighbourhood Policy in EU foreign policy. The summit will discuss topical issues of and challenges to the implementation of the EaP policy and identify the main directions of development of the EU's cooperation with partner countries in the coming years.

The summit will formulate the principles of formation of EaP policy, i.e. a non-confrontational partnership based on openness, transparency and identification of common goals, and will underline that the EaP is not spearheaded against any of the third parties.

The Riga Summit will be the first since the signing of association agreements between the EU and the three partner countries - Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It will assess the preliminary results of the implementation of association agreements.

There summit will also review the development of opportunities provided by the EaP policy with regard to cooperation with the other three partners - Azerbaijan, Belarus and Armenia. The EU is expected to confirm its readiness to take greater account of individual approaches in the dialogue with each of these partners, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with each of them in different areas.

Juris Poikans, Latvia's ambassador for the EaP programme, told in an interview with R+ what else can we expect from the Riga Summit.

- What prospects can be offered by the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union?

- It is a great honour and responsibility to act as a chairman of the European Union for half a year. For Latvia as a small country, which has made transition from its totalitarian path to the chairmanship of the alliance of the democratic nations in 25 years, it is a great achievement and success. This chairmanship brings great experience to the country, its government and the nation. It brings us closer to the processes taking place within the European Union, brings more understanding on how Europe works and strengthens government's institutions as we need to act faster and assume a greater responsibility. Latvia as a country that is close to the countries of Eastern Partnership has a comparative advantage in knowing and understanding you better. We hope to highlight the issues of the Eastern Partnership and its individual countries and set the right policy and guidelines for years ahead.

- You visited Azerbaijan three times before your present position with the EU. Most likely, you discussed here the Eastern Partnership Programme. What can you say about the results?

- The Eastern Partnership allows for building closer links between the European Union and your state. As a result, Latvia highly values the participation of Azerbaijan in the Eastern Partnership programme. We have created a long-term partnership in the field of energy; we have eased travel opportunities for Azerbaijani citizens to the Schengen area through the agreement on visa facilitation. The two parties have established a close political dialogue, as well. Latvia as a friend of Azerbaijan is doing its best to deepen ties between the European Union and Azerbaijan.

- During your recent visit to Baku, you mentioned that Russia had annexed part of Ukraine's territory, namely, the Crimea. Why is the EU unable to help Ukraine? Some politicians say that the EU foreign policy is ineffective. Otherwise, Ukraine would not be confronted with such problems.

- The European Union has explicitly condemned the illegal annexation of the Crimea and this policy is not going to change. The European Union has been developing a dialogue with Ukraine on a wide range of issues and will provide financial, technical and advisory assistance to reforming the country. The upcoming EU-Ukraine Summit will be a clear manifestation of this policy.

Having said that, we must be realistic - the European Union is currently unable to resolve the issue of the Crimea. Through the policy of Eastern Partnership, we are providing the countries with an opportunity to reform themselves according to the highest standards which should bring tangible results in a longer term.  Eastern European countries are and will always be important because this is our immediate neighbourhood.

- The Eastern Partnership Summit will be held in Riga. Azerbaijan will again raise the issue of Nagornyy Karabakh at the meeting. What kind of support and innovation can Azerbaijan expect from this summit?

- Latvia understands frustration caused by the lack of progress on the issue of Nagornyy Karabakh. The international community, including the European Union, tries to bring a solution to the conflict through formats which have been accepted by the Parties. We are clearly aware that this is a time consuming problem but there is no other option but to search for a peaceful solution. This will require some time, however. The Summit in Riga will send a clear signal of the EU's willingness to continue co-operation with the Azerbaijani state and will recognize the constructive role of Azerbaijan in the development of the region of Southern Caucasus. The European Union is keen to get acquainted with the Azerbaijani version of a possible strategic partnership agreement between the European Union and Azerbaijan on which we could work on. Latvia will be honoured to host President I.Aliyev at the Summit.

- What are the interests that Azerbaijan and the EU have in common?

- Our interest lies in a close partnership, joint interests and the vision of Europe "Whole and Free". We share the same cultural heritage and history. Using this opportunity let me express great appreciation for Azerbaijani hospitality and the level of organization of the first ever European Sports Games.

- You stated that the expansion of the European Neighbourhood Policy framework will not be discussed at the Riga Summit. Why is that? Is this policy not effective enough?

- We want to see Europe's neighbourhood as a prosperous, stable and secure area. This is the key aim of the policy of Eastern Partnership. We have made a long way since the first Summit in Prague. Three Association agreements, which are important political documents, have been signed with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. We are seeking individual ties with the rest three countries, including Azerbaijan. We are at the beginning of a very long road and nothing can be excluded in the future.