The Role of the EU in the conflict regions in the South Caucasus

Ilia state University

Introduction to the European Union

01 February 2013By : Zaur Natsvlishvili

Teona ZurabaSviliKeti Tsirekidze

The main task of EU Foreign and Security Policy is:

to preserve peacep

Re strengthen international security

V promote international cooperation develop and consolidate democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The EU has sent peacekeeping missions to several of the world’s trouble spots:

23 civilian missions and military operations on 3 continents

o August 2008, ceasefire between Georgia and Russia, (EU monitoring mission in Georgia);

o Post-tsunami peace building in Aceh;

o Protecting refugees in Chad,

o Fighting piracy off Somalia

o The Horn of Africa.

The High Representative

Catherine Ashton -

to bring more coherence

to the EU's foreign policies.

European Union and South Caucasus

GEORGIA

The Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz Conflicts

South Ossetia - January 1991 to June 1992

Abkhazia - August 1992-September 1993

The Georgian-Russian Conflict

August 2008

The EU’s Role Today and actions

The Commission since 1995

The EU’s Special Representative (The EUSR) since 2003

European Neighbourhood Policies (ENP) In 2004/2005

The ESDP Mission EUMM

The EU Institute for Security Studies (The EU ISS)

Political Limitations

Conflict and its roots

main organization leading the mediation efforts

The main achievement of the international mediation efforts by OSCE and the Russian Federation was the ceasefire agreement of 1994.

The EU’s official position regarding the Karabakh conflict has been articulated most clearly in the bilateral ENP Action Plans negotiated with Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In these political documents guiding the deepening of EU relations with the two countries since 2006, the EU states its “continued and strong commitment to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, drawing on the instruments at the EU’s disposal, and in close consultation with the OSCE”

The documents further add that “The EU is ready to consider ways to strengthen further its engagement in conflict resolution and post conflict rehabilitation”. The specific measures envisioned are focused mainly on supporting the OSCE Minsk Group, namely through the work of the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the South Caucasus, on increased support to people-to-people contacts, and on the availability to contribute substantial assistance to post-conflict rehabilitation processes

support to the official mediation process

promotion of confidence-building measures

assistance to reconstruction in a post-conflict scenario

2010 saw little progress in the Minsk Group-mediated talks. Both capitals argue they have offered the maximum concessions. President Aliyev publicly stated that he largely accepted the basic principles as elaborated in February 2010, while President Sargsyan remained noncommittal. The Azerbaijani leadership has begun to warn that diplomacy has been in vain and threaten that it may withdraw from negotiations if Yerevan continues “simulating talks”.