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OSCE Chairperson-in-Office: â€œI will seek to make progress towards lasting settlements of a number of conflicts in the OSCE areaâ€

09 February 2012 09:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Isabel Levine â€“ APA. Eamon Gilmore, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Irish Deputy Prime Minister, expressed the Chairmanshipâ€™s readiness to make progress on resolving protracted conflicts, including Nagorno-Karabakh, during 2012, at the US Helsinki Commission in Washington DC, APAâ€™s Washington correspondent reports.

â€œWe commend the continuing work of the Minsk Group co-Chairs in addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I look forward to working closely with Ambassador Bob Bradtke and the other Co-Chairs and members of the Minsk Group throughout my term in officeâ€, he stated
Stressing the potential lessons from Irelandâ€™s own experience in conflict resolution, the chairman mentioned that â€œwe in Ireland can empathize only too well with those who are engaged in seemingly intractable conflicts. In Northern Ireland, the courage of leaders on both sides to negotiate and make compromises in the interest of peace, together with the perseverance of the Irish and British Governments, as well as international support - in particular from the United States - has resulted in a lasting settlement.â€

He announced the participation of US Senator George Mitchell, a mediator in the Northern Ireland peace process, at an OSCE meeting on conflict resolution using Northern Ireland as a case study in Dublin in April.
â€œAs Chairperson-in-Office, I will seek to make progress towards lasting settlements of a number of conflicts in the OSCE area. I have nominated two Special Representatives, Ambassador PÃ¡draig Murphy and Ambassador Erwan FouÃ©rÃ©, to assist and advise me on these issues. They are cooperating with international actors on the ground as well as maintaining close contact with the parties. The Chairmanship will seek, in particular, to promote confidence building measures and to address humanitarian needsâ€, he said.

According to the chairman, the cooperative and inclusive nature of the OSCE means that it is uniquely positioned to play a significant role in building a comprehensive security community.

â€œA busy year lies in store both for the OSCE and the Chairmanshipâ€, he added.

During his visit, the Chairperson also met with the US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. He will address the UN Security Council in New York tomorrow.