OSCE PA President: There is need for courage and political will from all sides for solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict

It is your first official visit to the region as President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to the South Caucasus. What questions will be discussed during your visit in the region, what meetings will be held?

I look forward to meeting with presidents, foreign ministers, government and opposition representatives, parliamentarians and civil society members across the region. In addition, I will meet with the OSCE Offices in Yerevan and Baku. These offices are the backbone of the OSCE. We will be discussing recent developments in the region as well as OSCE PA priorities. As President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, a major goal of my visit is to enhance co-operation with the Parliament in each country and support their progress and development. I look forward to the day when we have a peaceful resolution to territorial disputes so that all sides can devote their full energy to shared progress and prosperity.

The agreement on Basic Principles was not signed in Astana during the summit, as it was expected. And a lot of experts say that the dynamic of the negotiation process was lost this year. What is your prognosis for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? And how the PA OSCE can promote that?

I am not visiting the region to make any predictions, only to promote progress. The OSCE Minsk Group has been working to facilitate dialogue on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict for almost a decade now. We still need courage and political will from all sides to take the steps needed to reach a lasting resolution. The main role of the Parliamentary Assembly is to help build confidence through parliamentary dialogue. At its best, an improved relationship at this level can help forge better relationships at the government level.

At your speech in Astana summit you stressed the importance of reforms to strengthen OSCE. What kind of reforms need to be held to develop the organization?

The OSCE is in crisis. Until the OSCE functions on a higher political plane, with greater openness and transparency and more buy-in from foreign ministers, the Organization will continue to flounder. Specifically, we need to change consensus-based rule, particularly in times of crisis, so we are not forced into inaction by one country while 55 others seek progress. As I write, I am hopeful that the foreign ministers of all participating States will agree with my call for a higher level political appointee to serve as the next OSCE Secretary General. A senior political appointee in this position could have the effect of instantly upgrading the profile of the OSCE. All of these changes will have little impact, however, if the OSCE does not begin to practice the same spirit of transparency that it preaches to all 56 countries. Budgets should be subject to publicly-available audits, and meetings of Permanent Council should be open to journalists and civil society. Having the Ministerial Council meet twice a year could also help to ensure the OSCE operates with the support and backing of more political weight

The position of PA OSCE Special Representative on Nagorno-Karabakh is still vacant. How many candidates are there on this position and when new Special Representative will be appointed?

It is a priority for the OSCE PA to keep the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh and the general situation in the Caucasus high on the agenda. This is also the background for my visit – a little more than one month prior to the Assembly’s Annual Session. As you know, the former Special Representative Göran Lennmarker left politics, and now I seek to follow the situation as closely as possible in my capacity as President of the Assembly.

How do you estimate the work of Azerbaijan parliamentarians in the OSCE PA?

The Azerbaijani Delegation to our Assembly, under the leadership of Deputy Speaker of the Milli Mejlis Mrs. Barhar Muradova is very active. They are regular participants in our various debates. Some parliamentarians from Azerbaijan have also participated actively in election observation missions.

Azerbaijan delegation initiated the project of resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Can it be discussed during next PA OSCE session?

The theme for the upcoming Annual Session is "Strengthening the OSCE’s Effectiveness and Efficiency – A New Start after the Astana Summit". This is a rather broad theme and our three Committees will be discussing political affairs and security, economic and environmental aspects as well as human rights and democracy. When it comes to finding solutions to conflicts, negotiations rightfully take place at the government level. However, Members of Parliament have a unique role to play in preparing the public sphere for a solution to any conflict.


/APA/