Foreign Minister Tuomioja visits Azerbaijan

Press release 394/2006
2 October, 2006

The visit by the EU troika delegation led by Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja to Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday, 3 October, has been confirmed. The delegation began its visit to Armenia and Georgia today. The delegation will also include Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Minister of State Günter Gloser of Germany, the next holder of the Presidency, as well as the Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, who will represent the EU High Representative Javier Solana.

In Armenia, the delegation will meet with President Robert Kocharyan and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan, and in Georgia, with President Mikheil Saakashvili, Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze, Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili, and State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration George Baramidze. In Azerbaijan, the delegation will meet with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

In all three countries the talks will focus on the relations between the European Union and the countries in question. The action plans between the EU and each of these countries under the European Neighbourhood Policy will get high-level attention during the visit. Other topics to be addressed include the situation of these countries and current international affairs.

Further information: Councellor Tanja Jääskeläinen, Unit for European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy, tel. 1605 5330 and 040 511 3786, and First Secretary Päivi Pihlajamäki, tel. 1605 6019 and 040 574 0459, Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.