Within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Miguel Ángel Moratinos will visit Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia on 2 and 3 March
28 February 2010. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, will travel next week to the three countries of the South Caucasus region as part of the high level political talks between the EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Mr Moratinos is to visit the region on behalf of the High Representative of the European Union for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, in order to hold high level political talks and to convey the message to the three republics that they are priority countries in the EU's Neighbourhood Policy as part of the Eastern Partnership Agreement.
Miguel Ángel Moratinos will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan on 2 March and will travel to Georgia on Wednesday 3 March, where he will visit the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM). The EU, like Spain, is still committed to Georgian territorial integrity, with the presence of the EUMM on the ground and supports a policy of dialogue and non-recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Peace and stability in the South Caucasus are of particular interest for the European Union, which is following the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey closely, as well as the situation in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and in the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Mr Moratinos will discuss these matters as well as issues on energy with various authorities and political, social and economic representatives from the three countries.
The EU maintains regular contact at ministerial level with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The previous visit to the region was made by the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt, as President of the EU, in July of last year.