YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS:

In 2012 Ireland will assume the chairmanship of the OSCE. Armenpress news agency spoke with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland Eamon Gilmore about the priorities of Irish chairmanship in the OSCE, position of the future chairman of the establishment over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

- What primary steps are you going to take during your Chairmanship in the OSCE in the context of settlement of protracted conflicts?

- I have renewed the mandate of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk as Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and I have nominated two Special Representatives for the other protracted conflicts in the OSCE region. Ambassador Pádraig Murphy, who is a very experienced Irish diplomat, will Co-Chair the Geneva talks on the conflict in Georgia and will have overall responsibility to monitor events in the Southern Caucasus. Ambassador Erwan Fouéré, who is a former EU Special Representative in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, will chair the 5+2 talks on Moldova and Transdniestria.  I have confidence that the Special Representatives will bring their expertise to bear on a resolution of these conflicts, and I will be following closely developments in the protracted conflicts personally.

- In this context what steps will be taken in order to settle Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

- Ireland supports the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Ambassador Murphy and Ambassador Kasprzyk will liaise closely with the Minsk Group and we will render any assistance that we can to help them fulfil their mandate.

- Do you see any similarities between Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the conflict in Northern Ireland? What positive experience could you extend to the sides of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in this regard?   

- I believe that Ireland’s experience of the Northern Ireland peace process provides us with a unique perspective on conflict resolution. For almost three decades, the conflict in Northern Ireland seemed intractable and the division which had developed between communities seemed insurmountable. Yet today, democratic institutions have been successfully established and those who were bitterly divided are now working together. 

However, I also recognise that the particular circumstances of all conflicts are different and that no single set of lessons can provide all the answers. We will not seek to prescribe remedies or propose set formulas for conflict resolution. Nonetheless, I hope that by sharing our own experience of the peace process in Northern Ireland  we can assist others who are engaged in similar peace building efforts. Throughout my period as Chair, I will work with parties to conflicts in the OSCE area to advance efforts to forge lasting settlements.

- The sides have agreed on the need of setting an investigation mechanism for the incidents on the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, but it never came to life. What steps is Ireland, as a chairing country in OSCE, going to take for the implementation of that mechanism?

- I regret that these confidence building measures have not been implemented along the Line of Contact.  We would like to see all parties in the conflict pursuing implementation of these measures through close contact with the Minsk Group.

- How do you assess the role of the EU in the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? Do you consider the possibility of the extension of the Minsk Group taking into account the increasing role of the EU?

- The EU is negotiating Association Agreements with all of the countries in the Southern Caucasus including both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Obviously EU assistance will be needed in any post-conflict situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The EU fully supports the Minsk Group and assists it in any way necessary. 

- When do you plan to visit the region of Caucasus?

- Although travel arrangements have yet to be finalised I would hope to visit the Southern Caucasus in the first half of 2012.

Eamon Gilmore was interviewed by Armen Ghazaryan