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Interview of Terry Davis, Political Affairs Committee’s rapporteur on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference

Interview (23.04.2003)

Question: Mr Davis, you have just returned form your visit to Baku and Yerevan. The conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its surrounding territories began roughly a decade ago. Since the ceasefire, the conflict has sometimes been described as “frozen”. Why is the Assembly dealing with it now?

Terry Davis: When joining the Council of Europe simultaneously on 25 January 2001, Armenia and Azerbaijan undertook identical commitments to use peaceful means to settle this conflict. After their accession, a motion was tabled by several members of the Assembly calling for the preparation of a specific report. The Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee asked me to undertake this difficult task, because I had been Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee at the time when both countries joined the Council of Europe.

Therefore, I knew something about the conflict and also had good personal relationships with people in both countries. But this is only the institutional and personal background. Thousands of people were killed in the course of the fighting a decade ago and thousands more in both Armenia and Azerbaijan were displaced as a result of the armed conflict. This unresolved issue still has the potential to erupt and lead to more human suffering. Under such circumstances, it is natural for the Council of Europe Assembly to look at this situation.

Question: The CSCE, which became later the OSCE, set up a mediation mechanism under the so-called Minsk Group. You met the three Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group earlier this year. How do you see your report in relation to the OSCE’s work?

Terry Davis: The OSCE Minsk Group has the mandate to assist Armenia and Azerbaijan by proposing a possible settlement of the conflict. It is not my intention to replace them, but I will be reporting on their efforts. If the process of preparing this report – and the adoption of the final report itself – can assist the parties and the OSCE in any way, I shall be delighted.

Question: Why did Europe fail to show greater interest in this conflict at the time of the fighting?

Terry Davis: When this armed conflict broke out, most member states of the Council of Europe at that time were focused on the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.

Question : When will your report be finished?

Terry Davis: Since I do not want to interfere in the elections taking place in Armenia and Azerbaijan during this year, my report will not be presented to the Political Affairs Committee until the end of this year.

Question: Council of Europe member states have faced several conflicts so far. Do you believe the Council of Europe’s structure allows for action over conflict situations?

Terry Davis: The Council of Europe has long-standing experience in conflict prevention. The need for reconciliation and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms after the second world war lead to the creation of the Council of Europe in 1949. At the time, this framework of democratic co-operation, stability and security was limited to western Europe.

In this part of Europe, it has served its purpose well since then, but there is much outstanding work in central and eastern Europe following our expansion in recent years – especially in dealing with post-conflict situations such as Nagorno-Karabakh. The Assembly has discussed reports on several conflicts in or among member states as well as in neighbouring regions in the past, and always sought to contribute to a settlement by focusing public attention on these problems and possible solutions. But there are other mechanisms as well.

The European Court of Human Rights and the Venice Commission are two examples which immediately come to mind, but the CLRAE also makes a contribution which is often overlooked. Finally, I should also mention the interest which has been shown in these issues by the Committee of Ministers in recent years. My only concern is that we tend to work in separate compartments. I think that we could achieve much more by working more closely together.

Thank you very much.