MEP Sajjad Karim: Europe should support political breakthroughs in S. Caucasus countries

Sajjad Karim, chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the South Caucasus, says in his story for the European Parliament’s Magazine that Europe should recognise and support the political breakthroughs currently underway in the South Caucasus countries.

He says that the South Caucasus may be relatively unknown to the average EU citizen, “but its strategic importance should escape no one”.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia all celebrated centenaries of one sort or another this year, each marking the value that each places on its independence and destiny defined by its peoples.

Russian tanks are massing on the border of Ukraine and again we are reminded of the acute nature of the situation on Russia’s borders, he says.

 Speaking about Georgia Karim says that “no one could have predicted such progress”.

The Association Agreement, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement component, entered into force in July 2016.Since then, Georgia has strived to align its legislation with EU standards. This led, among other things, to the waiver of visas for Georgian citizens for short stays in the Schengen area from March 2017.

Georgia’s recent reforms demonstrate the progress made by the country. It has now elected its first female head of state and - led by the highly capable Justice Minister, Thea Tsulukiani – is making its judicial system fully transparent and free from political influence,” Karim states.

He stated that the EU is firmly committed to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally-recognised borders.

He says that in June this year, the European Parliament adopted a resolution reiterating this position, making clear that any further aggression in Georgia would not be tolerated.

At the end of November, I hosted a reception in the European Parliament celebrating the work of the Delegation. Ambassadors and representatives from all three countries shared the same stage, something unthinkable just a few years ago.

None of this would have been possible, however, without the Parliamentary dimension and my Co-Chairs Armen Ashotyan, Tamar Khulordava and Javanshir Feyziyev, as well as Ambassadors Markarian, Sabanadze and Isgandarov, who have been essential interlocutors.

Karim says that “we managed to establish great working relations between all our institutions, demonstrating that the South Caucasus Delegation is a paradigm for co-working; I hope that it will continue long after this mandate.”