Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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404. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent of the discussions taking place at EU and UN level to address the situation at various war zones worldwide including the Armenian Azerbaijani strife; if particular initiatives are contemplated to address the issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28821/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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At EU level the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region was discussed at the European Council on the 1st of October, where leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged parties to recommit to a lasting ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. The European Council stated that there can be no military solution to the conflict, nor any external interference and called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to engage in substantive negotiations without preconditions. Leaders expressed its support for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and asked the EU High Representative to examine further EU support for the settlement process.

The UN Security Council members expressed support for Secretary-General Guterres’s call for an immediate halt to the fighting, and for the central role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Ireland will continue to support these efforts, including when we join the United Nations Security Council in January of next year.

Ireland joins those calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the negotiating table, and we welcome and support the statements of the European Council and the OSCE Minsk Co-Chairs calling for this. I am deeply concerned by the recent clashes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in particular along the line of contact, which have regrettably led to the loss of life and severe injury, including civilian casualties.

Ireland urges both sides to de-escalate tensions by refraining from inflammatory rhetoric and strictly observing the ceasefire. Only through negotiation, can there be a sustainable resolution and eventual reconciliation. The road to a peaceful resolution can be long and complex, as Ireland knows well, but progress grows from dialogue. Ireland fully supports the Minsk Process and we thank both the High Representative and the Co-Chairs Group for their efforts to de-escalate tensions over recent months.

We will continue to monitor this evolving situation closely.