Absence of the EU from the Minsk Group is no Longer Acceptable: Dennis Sammut
“If the conflict sides want the EU to play a more active role in the Karabakh conflict settlement process they should say so,” Dennis Sammut, Executive Director of LINKS (Dialogue, Analysis and Research), based in Oxford, told 168.am, assessing disposition of the West regarding developments in NK conflict zone, as well as touching upon allegations that the USA and the EU were passive, handing the settlement wheel to Russia.
Sammut stated that in both the European Union and the United States there is a certain amount of crises and conflict fatigue, due to the many areas of instability in different parts of the world, and especially around Europe. Thus, according to the British analyst more attention should be paid to the Karabakh conflict than has been the case.
“The idea that we have the OSCE Minsk Group co-Chair mechanism and that this is enough to at least contain the problem was always, in my opinion, flawed. What happened in the last weeks proved this. However, this does not mean that Russia has been given a free hand to push its own “scenario,” Dennis Sammut said.
He mentioned, that the European Union is the most important political and economic organisation on the European continent, and its absence from the Minsk Group is no longer acceptable in geopolitical terms.
“The EU is also the most important partner for civil society throughout the entire South Caucasus. Since on Karabakh societal changes are an essential part for any settlement of the conflict going forward, the EU has a role to play that cannot be substituted by anyone else, least of all Russia. But if the conflict sides want the EU to play a more active role in the Karabakh conflict settlement process they should say so.
I ask you directly, have you ever heard your President or Foreign Minister say that the EU should play a more active role in resolving the Karabakh conflict? They should. If both sides want the EU to be more active in helping them resolve the conflict they need to say so clearly, in which case I have no doubt the response of the EU will be positive. As High Representative Federica Mogherini stated in the European Parliament a few days ago the EU is ready to step up its engagement, if necessary,” he concluded.
Complete interview will be available in the forthcoming publication of “168 Hours.”
By Araks Martirosyan
