NATO Parliamentary Assembly Assemblée parlementaire de l OTAN. 89 th ROSE-ROTH Seminar - Yerevan/Erevan June/juin Introductory Remarks

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1 ROSE-ROTH NATO Parliamentary Assembly Assemblée parlementaire de l OTAN 89 th ROSE-ROTH Seminar - Yerevan/Erevan June/juin 2015 Introductory Remarks Honorable Paolo Alli Vice-President, NATO PA Thursday 18 June

2 Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Fellow Parliamentarians, on behalf of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I would like to welcome and thank Galust Sahakyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, and Koryun Nahapetyan, Head of the Armenian Delegation to the NATO PA, for the invitation to host this seminar here in the beautiful city of Yerevan. The Armenian parliament and its staff have put forth considerable effort to ensure the success of this conference and to guarantee a warm welcome for their international guests we are very grateful for this effort and look forward to several days here in Armenia. I am certain that we will all enjoy our stay here. I would also like to extend the best wishes of the Honourable Mike Turner, President of the NATO PA, who is unable to attend this seminar due to duties in the United States Congress over the coming days. Mike is very supportive of the efforts of the Assembly to engage with its partner countries in this region. Our efforts here over the coming days represent the continued investment that the Assembly has made in Armenia. Our first seminar in Armenia took place here in Yerevan in 2005, today we are kicking off our 3 rd this is clearly a sign of good progress and cooperation. 2

3 Over the last ten years, we have been able to extend the breadth and depth of our projects with the Armenian parliament. More broadly, the Assembly remains committed to efforts fostering increased peace and stability in the South Caucasus. This is evident not only through the various Rose-Roth seminars held in the region over the past 13 years, but also through our Parliamentary missions to the region. It bears reminding that the Rose-Roth seminars were the initiative of two U.S. legislators, Congressman Charlie Rose and Senator Bill Roth, in the wake of the Cold War when the NATO Parliamentary Assembly played a constrictive role in helping NATO aspirant countries (and their Parliaments) prepare for membership in the Alliance. At their core, Rose-Roth seminars continue to promote the principle of the democratic control of armed forces particularly through the promotion of effective parliamentary oversight of a nation s defence institutions. The seminars have evolved significantly over the years, however, to provide a critical venue for the free exchange of views and discussion about key political, security, economic, and social issues affecting a country and region. The Geneva-based Institute for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) provides the necessary levels of financial support to maintain and support the continuation of these seminars today I 3

4 commend the foresight of the Swiss government when it made this decision years ago, and I believe very strongly in the value of continued Rose-Roth seminar outreach to our partners for the foreseeable future. Ambassador Lukas Gasser, who will speak immediately after me, is here today representing the Swiss government. Thank you again Ambassador Lukas for your country s continued efforts in this domain. A DCAF representative, Simon Lunn (the former Secretary General of the NATO PA), will also be moderating the Fifth Session on Friday afternoon on Building Integrity as Part of Defence Reform in Armenia. Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues - It is clear that as NATO and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly broaden their cooperation with partner nations particularly in the wake of the ISAF coalition efforts in Afghanistan our activities engage partners and regions faced with very difficult challenges in the realm of peace and security. Many of these regions are often still embroiled in lingering conflicts with long and complex histories. In regions, such as the South Caucasus, where long-standing conflicts seem anchored in irreconcilable ethnic and religious differences, the Assembly stresses the value of Seminars like this one as ideal venues promoting open dialogue in a forum that is not constrained by the same limits that would be imposed by official government-to-government talks. 4

5 While it is ultimately for the governments themselves to engage in the negotiations necessary to find an enduring resolution to conflicts, parliaments and parliamentary meetings such as this have an important role all the same. Seminars such as the Rose-Roth serve as a clearinghouse for the questions essential to the economic, political, and security wellbeing of a country. They are the appropriate venues in which to identify and discuss possible options, clarify misperceptions, and even voice fears and suspicions. Further, they allow for relevant players at the local, regional, and international level to create and foster essential working relationships. While we certainly should not harbour illusions that such meetings have an immediate impact upon existing or in jumpstarting negotiations, we hope that they can plant the seeds of trust and confidence between opposing parties so as to pave the way to a negotiated settlement. As everyone here present understands well, the frozen conflicts of the Caucasus which resulted in the disputed status of territories in all three partner states Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have handicapped the entire region for well over two decades now. The reasons for the inability of Armenia and Azerbaijan to move forward over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh will feature prominently throughout this seminar s programme both officially and unofficially. 5

6 Unfortunately we have been witnessing a slow escalation of military activity in the region recently such a dangerous shift in the status of the conflict is in the interests of either country, the region, or the globe for that matter. The NATO PA has never advocated military solutions to any conflict only political negotiations, agreed upon by both sides, will come to last, beneficial solutions. Further, I must note that it is disappointing that we have taken a step backwards relative to the progress made in Rose-Roth Seminars past the absence of our colleagues from Azerbaijan is certainly regretted here today. I believe, however, that we can find a way forward to become partners in constructive dialogue again. Perhaps the messages over the next few days will help broaden the understanding of the necessity of such dialogue as the only way forward. I am very much looking forward to a very free and open discussion about the range of challenges confronting Armenia and the region. To do so, the NATO PA international staff and the Armenian Parliament have worked together to build a programme allowing us to examine the areas where progress has been made, areas for optimism, as well as those areas that remain critical challenges and no matter how difficult they may be, we must examine those challenges head on. 6

7 Over the coming days we will examine the current, near, long term perspectives for Armenia in particular. From the evolution of Armenia s cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic Community, to the continued efforts to build integrity in Armenian defence institutions, as well as an overview of the political and civil society developments in the region. The seminar will also situate Armenia within its region as it takes on critical issues such as the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, border diplomacy, and, a critical question to the future of all of the states in the region and beyond energy security. We will also examine the evolution of NATO s relationships with all three states in question here in the South Caucasus. There will also be a discussion about the disruptive effectives of the rise of ISIS in the Middle East and beyond. The security challenges of the South Caucasus are not contained here, and they go far beyond local conflicts and differences of opinion; the South Caucasus is at the juncture of the key challenges facing the NATO alliance as a whole today on both its Eastern and Southern flanks. It is no secret that Russia now views itself to be in strategic competition with NATO some of this is playing out in this region. In addition, we know that an element of the foreign fighters joining the 7

8 ranks of ISIS in the Middle East and North Africa are leaving from Chechnya. Chechen fighters have also been reported to be active in the civil conflict continuing to disrupt Eastern Ukraine fighting on behalf of rebel forces. These are issues that affect all of our countries. Today my country, Italy, is facing the consequences of the disruption caused by civil wars raging throughout the Middle East and North Africa the waves of immigrants seeking asylum and shelter on our shores is a critical crisis that we must all work together to address. In conclusion, I hope, and I am certain that we all do, that this seminar will make a constructive contribution to the region. In order for it to be so, I encourage all of you attending to contribute to the best of your ability. As many of you are involved either directly or indirectly in this area, we are looking forward to your insights. The hallmarks of a successful conference are simple enough we should all leave here better informed than when we arrived. In that spirit, I wish you all an excellent Rose-Roth Seminar here in Yerevan! 8