Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Commentary

"The EU is ready to help, but a solution depends on the will of the sides"

21 June 2012

The Defence and Security Committee of the European Parliament on Wednesday (20 June) held a special session to discuss the security situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, and the contribution that the European Union can make the towards the resolution of the conflict. In a briefing to MEPs, the EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus, Ambassador Philippe Lefort reaffirmed the readiness of the European Union to help the sides move towards a resolution of the conflict, but emphasised that a solution depends on the political will of the leadership in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Opening the proceedings, Mr  Arnaud Danjean, Chairman of the Parliament's Security and Defence Committee, said that the situation around Karabakh was a matter of concern to the Committee and the Parliament. The committee heard reports from Tracey German from the Department of Defence Studies, Kings College, London, who spoke about the general security situation; Adam Eberhardt, Deputy Director, Centre for Eastern Studies, Poland, who briefed the committee about the situation in Armenia and Azerbaijan; and Dennis Sammut, Director of LINKS who briefed the committee on the role of the EU in the resolution of the conflict. In his written submissions to the committee Dennis Sammut also tabled ten proposals that the European Union can do to enhance its role in the process of resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The meeting was also addressed by the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Philippe Lefort, who gave the Committee an overview of the current situation.

Many MEPs asked questions and made comments following the presentations.

Since the proceedings were open, a large audience of diplomats, journalists, EU officials, members of Brussels based think tanks and other interested persons were also present at the meeting,  reaffirming once more the interest in the subject.

source: commonspace.eu

photo: The meeting of the European Parliament Security and Defence Committee on the security situation around Nagorno-Karabakh held at the Parliament in Brussels on 20 June 2012. (picture courtesy of the Press Service of the European Parliament)

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Uzbekistan calls for bigger voice for Central Asia in the UN
Trending

Uzbekistan calls for bigger voice for Central Asia in the UN

26 September 2026
Uzbekistan called for a more effective and representative United Nations on September 23, as presidential administration chief Saida Mirziyoyeva used her address to the UN General Assembly to seek support for the country’s candidacy for a nonpermanent Security Council seat in 2035–2036. Speaking at the Assembly’s 81st session in New York, Mirziyoyeva argued that international cooperation remains necessary despite growing geopolitical divisions. She endorsed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ UN80 reform initiative and called for an expanded Security Council, arguing that international rules should be applied consistently rather than according to the interests of powerful states. Uzbekistan’s planned chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement in 2027 was presented as another platform for promoting dialogue. Her emphasis on multilateralism also fits a broader Central Asian effort to increase the region’s role in international institutions. Kyrgyzstan, for example, will hold its first Security Council seat in 2027–2028. Mirziyoyeva also highlighted regional cooperation, pointing to improved relations among Central Asian states over longstanding border and water disputes. On Afghanistan, she urged countries not to view it solely as a security threat, stressing the importance of creating conditions for peaceful development. She linked Uzbekistan’s international agenda to domestic reforms, citing economic growth, falling poverty and expanded education. Climate and water security also featured prominently, with the Aral Sea serving as an example of the consequences of poor environmental management. (click image to read more)

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov
Trending

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

15 January 2026
Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)
Murad Muradov
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Murad Muradov