Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Our priority is and will remain the safety of the local population and the humanitarian situation on the ground. Our focus right now is on doing that as best we can. We call for full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law. The issues the Deputy raised in terms of the protection of civilians are still open to countries to take action on in respect of international accords and various accountability measures.

On 23 October, there will be a further meeting with the EU foreign ministers. The EU has been very genuinely engaged in trying to prevent all this from happening and, unfortunately, that has not been successful. At the very first European Political Community meeting, as it is called, President Macron brought both the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia together early in the morning. He thought he had a resolution at that stage or a cessation and some pathway to peace. The President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel, has been brokering with President Macron attempts at ceasefires and resolution of the conflict. Unfortunately, the European Union has been clear with Azerbaijan that there should not have been an escalation and that it should not have done what it did. There is no question, of course, that it was shocking. There was no need for that brutality against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The issue was discussed at the meeting of the permanent council of the OSCE, which has always had a standing brief here. We met with the OSCE recently. There was a meeting on 28 September in Vienna and the meeting of the European Union's Political and Security Committee was held in Brussels earlier today. There are ongoing meetings. I know the French minister is on her way there as well. As I said, there will be a meeting on 23 October. The European Union wants to facilitate dialogue to prevent further violence. There has to be genuine dialogue between Baku and the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. We will work with our EU colleagues on trying to facilitate a lasting reconciliation process here.

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