On Monday 24th May 2010 Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus spoke on “EU Policy towards the South Caucasus”.
The security and stability of the South Caucasus increasingly impacts on that of the EU, as demonstrated by the Russian-Georgian war of 2008. In this seminar, Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, addressed the future challenges and prospects of EU engagement in the South Caucasus by providing a comprehensive assessment of EU policy in the region. This included an overview of the role of the Eastern Partnership and its attempts to promote closer ties between the EU and the countries of the South Caucasus. The EUSR’s role in assisting the countries of the South Caucasus in carrying out political and economic reforms, preventing and assisting in the resolution of conflicts (notably in Georgia), and engaging with key national actors neighbouring the region was also discussed.
Peter Semnbey is currently the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus. From 2002-2005 he was head of the OSCE mission to Croatia; from 2000-2002, he was head of the OSCE mission to Latvia. He was educated at the Stockholm School of Economics, University of Stockhold and the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
This discussion was chaired by Oksana Antonenko, Senior Fellow (Russia and Eurasia), IISS. It took place on the fourth floor at Arundel House, 13–15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX.
