The Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael) published “The European Union in the South Caucasus” extensive study.

We present to your attention the final parts of it from “Conclusions and Recommendations” section.

The EU dedicated strategy for the South Caucasus

This part, in particular, says that “in addition to its policy documents on the Eastern Partnership or on specific themes, the EU should develop a dedicated strategy for the South Caucasus as a whole.”

“This strategy should clearly outline the EU’s various objectives and the way it aims to pursue them. It should have a clear focus on the security dimension as well as the (geo)political, economic and normative dimensions. The EU should significantly strengthen its field presence in the three countries of the South Caucasus. It should particularly strive to achieve more coherence between the efforts of the European Commission, the EU Special Representative and the President of the European Council, the two field operations in Georgia and Armenia, and the bilateral efforts of its member states,” the authors of the study note.

Photo: Press service of the Armenian government

The EU should not succumb to the reflexes of “bothsideism”

“While striving to be an impartial mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan and acknowledging the complexity of the conflict, the EU should not succumb to the reflexes of ‘equidistance’ and ‘bothsideism’. It should particularly deter Azerbaijani efforts to impose its will on Armenia by force. The EU should therefore avoid giving Baku the impression in its strategic communications that it will turn a blind eye to further attacks on Armenia because of commercial and trade interests. It should continue to proactively contribute to the demarcation of the border and be more forceful in demanding the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory,” the study says.

The transport connection from Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan

“The EU should ensure that Armenia duly implements the commitments it has undertaken regarding the transport connection from Azerbaijan proper to Nakhchivan. It can play a role in the negotiations, provide expertise regarding the modalities of the transport connection, as well as investing financially in the construction of the road and railroad connection. The EU has an interest in its realisation, not only because it would lock in cooperation between Baku and Yerevan, but also because it would strengthen the Middle Corridor trade route at large. In this context it is also clearly in the EU’s interest to support the Armenian-Turkish normalisation process and the reopening of the border,” the experts write.

Photo: Press service of the Armenian government

The EU mission’s “crucial role”

“The recently deployed EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) could play a crucial role and should be endowed with sufficient resources and flexibility to fulfill its mandate – even if Azerbaijan and Russia object to it. The EU should make clear to Azerbaijan that the EUMA is an essential part of its role as a mediator and should encourage Baku not only to grudgingly accept the Mission but to actively co-operate with it, ideally by allowing it to have access to the Azerbaijani side of the border.”

“The EU should press Baku”

While upholding the legal and political distinction between sovereign Armenian territory, on the one hand, and Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan, on the other, the EU should not close its eyes to the dire situation of the ethnic Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh. As part of its mediation efforts, it should press Baku to offer a credible and internationally monitored arrangement to the ethnic Armenians that guarantees their security and fully respects their rights. Continued access to Armenia through the Lachin Corridor and measures to combat hate speech should be an integral part of this arrangement, in particular after the Russian peacekeepers leave. The EU should strive to monitor the implementation of this arrangement by itself, as an integral part of its ongoing political and human rights dialogue with Azerbaijan.

Photo: Press service of the Armenian government

“The EU should manage Armenian expectations”

In Armenia, the EU should make long-term investments in structurally strengthening the Armenian rule of law, democratic institutions and resilience. In the short term, Armenia’s dependence on Russia is unlikely to change quickly and the EU should manage Armenian expectations in this regard, but the EU can and should play a long game here. The EU can use the space in the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the window of opportunity emanating from Armenia’s disillusionment with Russia to implement some structural reforms now and to make the country less vulnerable to Russian interference in the longer term, including in the areas of countering hybrid threats and disinformation, energy security and efficiency and security sector reform.”