IRELAND: Politicians from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are meeting in Dublin Castle to discuss the establishment of a parliamentary assembly of the South Caucasus.
The two-day meeting, which concludes today, is aimed at promoting better relations between the three states, particularly Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been in conflict for many years over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.
The group, currently known as the South Caucasus Parliamentary Initiative (SCPI), cannot hold meetings in either Armenia of Azerbaijan because of the conflict. However, Dr Konstantin Gabashvili, chairman of the foreign relations committee of the Georgian Parliament, said the group sometimes met in Georgia.
He said the SCPI, established in 2003, was "a special initiative of the three parliaments of the South Caucasus" which received special support from the British government. Other EU member states also provide assistance, including the Republic, which is hosting this week's meeting, the group's fourth plenary session. Other sessions have been held in Edinburgh, the Bulgarian capital Sofia and the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.
Dr Gabashvili said transforming the SCPI into a parliamentary assembly for the region would make it a "more current, active and regular organisation" which could pursue matters of common interest, such as relations with the European Union.
The presidency of the SCPI rotates on a six-monthly basis and is currently held by Azerbaijan. The target date for setting up the parliamentary assembly is 2007. Speaking of his own country, Dr Gabashvili said: "Georgia has officially the goal to join the EU and Nato."
Welcoming delegates on behalf of the Government, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Conor Lenihan said he was "particularly pleased" that the EU decision to include Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia within the European Neighbourhood Policy was taken during Ireland's European presidency last year.
"We hope that from your visit here and from the relationship with Ireland in particular you will learn how to transform your own economic and social lives in the way in which we have managed to do over 20 or 30 years, particularly since our membership of the European Union."
Mr Lenihan welcomed the fact that the rule of law had been placed at the centre of the group's agenda over the last six months when the chair was held by Azerbaijan. "Without justice and equality there is unlikely to be stability or social harmony in the longer term," he said.
Besides the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, the region had to contend with other conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia: "A comprehensive settlement to these disputes can only be achieved if there is political will on all sides. In this sense, the political contacts that you will build up over the next two days are no doubt of huge importance."
Formal and informal parliamentary contacts had been a key element in the search for a comprehensive resolution to the conflict in Northern Ireland. The British-Irish Interparliamentary Body had been an important platform, Mr Lenihan said, although "when they started, they were shouting at each other".
