Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Six concrete steps for the EU to take in Nagorno-Karabakh

Six concrete steps for the EU to take in Nagorno-Karabakh

8 April 2016

The EU must become actively involved in trying to find a solution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which flared up again on April 2, killing dozens, according to two policy experts.

Dennis Sammut, director of LINKS, and Amanda Paul, a senior policy analyst, outlined six concrete steps the EU can take, in a paper for the European Policy Centre in Brussels:

 

  • The EU should demand to be formally represented within the wider Minsk Group, through the EU member state holding the rotating EU presidency
  • The EU should consider the Karabakh conflict an essential part of the its political dialogue with Armenia and Azerbaijan, not bypassed to make things easier
  • The EU should appoint military liaison officers in Baku and Yerevan
  • The EU should engage with civil society through instruments such as the EPNK (The European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh)
  • The EU should ensure member state positions on Karabakh are better synchronised
  • The EU should coordinate and consult with other regional stake holders, including Russia, Turkey and Iran

The full paper can be read here: http://www.epc.eu/pub_details.php?cat_id=4&pub_id=6447

PHOTO: the European Commission in Brussels

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged
Trending

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

9 June 2021
Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Turkiye to host COP31 in 2026
Trending

Turkiye to host COP31 in 2026

20 November 2025
A consensus has emerged during COP 30, currently being held in Belan, Brazil, that COP 31 will be held in the Turkish city of Antalya, in 2026. In 2026 Turkiye will host another global event, the NATO leaders summit. Turkiye is set to host COP31 after reaching compromise with Australia.  The COP31 climate meeting is now expected to be held in Turkey after Australia dropped its bid to host the annual event. Under the UN rules, the right to host the COP in 2026 falls to a group of countries made up of Western Europe, Australia and others. A consensus must be reached but neither country had been willing to concede. Australia has now agreed to support the Turkish bid in return for their minister chairing the talks following negotiations at COP30, currently being held in Brazil. This unusual arrangement has taken observers by surprise. It is normal for a COP president to be from the host country and how this new partnership will work in practice remains to be seen. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the compromise with Turkey an "outstanding result" in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), noting Pacific issues would be "front and centre". He added that he had spoken to Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Prime Minister Rabuka of Fiji. There will be relief among countries currently meeting at COP30 in the Brazilian city of Belém that a compromise has been reached as the lack of agreement on the venue was becoming an embarrassment for the UN.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Turkiye to host COP31 in 2026
Trending

Turkiye to host COP31 in 2026

20 November 2025
A consensus has emerged during COP 30, currently being held in Belan, Brazil, that COP 31 will be held in the Turkish city of Antalya, in 2026. In 2026 Turkiye will host another global event, the NATO leaders summit. Turkiye is set to host COP31 after reaching compromise with Australia.  The COP31 climate meeting is now expected to be held in Turkey after Australia dropped its bid to host the annual event. Under the UN rules, the right to host the COP in 2026 falls to a group of countries made up of Western Europe, Australia and others. A consensus must be reached but neither country had been willing to concede. Australia has now agreed to support the Turkish bid in return for their minister chairing the talks following negotiations at COP30, currently being held in Brazil. This unusual arrangement has taken observers by surprise. It is normal for a COP president to be from the host country and how this new partnership will work in practice remains to be seen. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the compromise with Turkey an "outstanding result" in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), noting Pacific issues would be "front and centre". He added that he had spoken to Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Prime Minister Rabuka of Fiji. There will be relief among countries currently meeting at COP30 in the Brazilian city of Belém that a compromise has been reached as the lack of agreement on the venue was becoming an embarrassment for the UN.