South Caucasus group meets in Dublin
Irish Times; Jul 26, 2005
Deaglan de Breadun, Foreign Affairs Correspondent
IRELAND: Politicians from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are meeting
in Dublin Castle to discuss the establishment of a parliamentary
assembly of the South Caucasus.
The two-day meeting, which concludes today, is aimed at promoting
better relations between the three states, particularly Armenia and
Azerbaijan, which have been in conflict for many years over the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.
The group, currently known as the South Caucasus Parliamentary
Initiative (SCPI), cannot hold meetings in either Armenia of
Azerbaijan because of the conflict. However, Dr Konstantin Gabashvili,
chairman of the foreign relations committee of the Georgian
Parliament, said the group sometimes met in Georgia.
He said the SCPI, established in 2003, was “a special initiative of
the three parliaments of the South Caucasus” which received special
support from the British government. Other EU member states also
provide assistance, including the Republic, which is hosting this
week’s meeting, the group’s fourth plenary session. Other sessions
have been held in Edinburgh, the Bulgarian capital Sofia and the
Slovenian capital Ljubljana.
Dr Gabashvili said transforming the SCPI into a parliamentary assembly
for the region would make it a “more current, active and regular
organisation” which could pursue matters of common interest, such as
relations with the European Union.
The presidency of the SCPI rotates on a six-monthly basis and is
currently held by Azerbaijan. The target date for setting up the
parliamentary assembly is 2007. Speaking of his own country, Dr
Gabashvili said: “Georgia has officially the goal to join the EU and
Nato.”
Welcoming delegates on behalf of the Government, Minister of State at
the Department of Foreign Affairs Conor Lenihan said he was
“particularly pleased” that the EU decision to include Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia within the European Neighbourhood Policy was
taken during Ireland’s European presidency last year.
“We hope that from your visit here and from the relationship with
Ireland in particular you will learn how to transform your own
economic and social lives in the way in which we have managed to do
over 20 or 30 years, particularly since our membership of the European
Union.”
Mr Lenihan welcomed the fact that the rule of law had been placed at
the centre of the group’s agenda over the last six months when the
chair was held by Azerbaijan. “Without justice and equality there is
unlikely to be stability or social harmony in the longer term,” he
said.
Besides the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, the region had to contend
with other conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia: “A comprehensive
settlement to these disputes can only be achieved if there is
political will on all sides. In this sense, the political contacts
that you will build up over the next two days are no doubt of huge
importance.”
Formal and informal parliamentary contacts had been a key element in
the search for a comprehensive resolution to the conflict in Northern
Ireland. The British-Irish Interparliamentary Body had been an
important platform, Mr Lenihan said, although “when they started, they
were shouting at each other”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress