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On June 12 the delegation headed by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office , Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Ireland Eamon Gilmore met with the representatives of the National Assembly factions.

Welcoming the visit of the delegation, Artak Zakaryan, member of the RPA faction, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, highly assessed the role of the organization as the one ensuring security and being of military-political high importance. The deputy expressed hope that the meeting with parliamentarians would enable the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to more fully have the picture of the parties’ positions on Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

During the meeting the PAP deputy Vardan Oskanyan talked about the NK conflict, considering it concerning in several aspects. First, the recent events took place at the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and also in the days of the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. In Vardan Oskanyan’s opinion, this was especially done by Azerbaijan and was a certain message. According to him, the Azerbaijani side wants to say that they “are disappointed” with the negotiation process, and they want to solve the problem through military. “Meanwhile, the disappointment is just because of them, they put forward such requirements during the negotiations, which are extreme and unrealistic,” the deputy noticed.

Touching upon the Karabakh problem and sharing the previous speaker’s view, Levon Zurabyan, Head of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) faction, considered necessary that the OSCE would condemn Azerbaijan’s military actions. The ANC representative noted that the OSCE has not only big role in security, but also in democratization.

Mher Shahgledyan, Secretary of the Rule of Law faction also highly assessed the role of the OSCE Minsk Group in the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem through peaceful negotiations. He drew the attention of the OSCE to the actions initiated by the Azerbaijani armed groupings at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which are accompanied with victims. The deputy deemed necessary that the approaches of the OSCE would be distinct and concrete.

The representatives of the factions also presented their views in connection with parliamentary elections held in May and democratic processes.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office responded the raised questions. “What I see today in Yerevan, I will say tomorrow in Baku: there will be no military solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” he stressed. Mr Gilmore’s words the use of force is deniable for them, the conflict can only be solved through peaceful negotiations. In this context the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office highlighted the support of the OSCE Minks Group for implementing its mission and drawing three main principles forward. To his conviction the principles of the nations’ self-determination, regional integrity and non-use of force are inseparable. According to the assessment of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, we should find mechnisms for investigating those incidents,” the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office said, adding that the NK conflict is prior problem for both OSCE and him during the years of his tenure.

Talking about democratic processes and parliamentary elections Eamon Gilmore noted that the report made together with the OSCE/’ODIHR and CoE contained proposals. “I hope that the proposals included there will come true,” the OSCE official said. In his words, the freedom of mass media is in the centre of his attention, which has also been discussed with the authorities during the meetings. Mr Gilmore ensured that the OSCE was ready to in this issue. Too. “The OSCE always supports the principles of democracy and rule of law,” the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office noted.