Bled, 31 August 2008 – “Today, the European Union is challenged by the situation in Georgia and the energy security issue,” Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said at a round-table discussion on the situation in Georgia held this afternoon at the Bled Strategic Forum. Minister Rupel emphasised that the discussion was particularly important, since these issues would also be debated at an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on 1 September and an informal EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Avignon on 5 and 6 September, which will also examine EU-Russia relations.

The situation in Georgia and energy security have become closely interconnected, which is quite obvious; the situation in the region is marked by tensions and uncertainty. Several EU foreign ministers thus proposed that a special conference be convened. “We believe that the OSCE is the most appropriate framework for such a conference,” Minister Rupel emphasised, adding that the conference should also be attended by the Russian Federation. The resolution of the Georgia issue, Minister Rupel said, will largely depend on talks with the Russian Federation. In addition, energy supply routes will have to be determined both in the European Union and outside its borders. Minister Rupel also referred to the Russian Foreign Minister’s statement that the EU, the United States and the Russian Federation were three pillars of the same civilisation. “This idea needs to be nurtured, and it has thus been proposed that a donor conference be accompanied by a political conference, which should also be attended by the Russian Federation, although we will not share its opinion on the developments which occurred at the beginning of August,” Minister Rupel said.