Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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98. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts being made by his Department to respond to the violence and aggression by Azerbaijan towards Armenia, including the invasion of Armenia and the besieging and starvation of Armenians. [4382/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I was concerned by the renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan last year, and by reports of the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin corridor since 12 December. These developments severely affect the civilian population, especially ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh.

During our tenure on the UN Security Council, which ended in December, Ireland repeatedly called for a peaceful resolution to the disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the immediate cessation of hostilities, and the implementation of a ceasefire. Armed confrontation will not provide any lasting resolution to the territorial dispute between the two countries.

On 21 December, a European Court of Human Rights’ ruling called on the Azeri government to take all measures within its jurisdiction to ensure safe passage through the Lachin Corridor of seriously ill persons in need of medical treatment in Armenia, and others who were stranded on the road without shelter or means of subsistence.  At the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 18 January, Ireland affirmed our support for the work of the Court and calls for urgent dialogue towards a resolution. Ireland urges all parties to facilitate access for all relevant actors in order to determine the facts on the ground.

Ireland supports a negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable settlement of the conflict, including on the long-term status of Nagorno-Karabakh, and supports increased EU engagement in the South Caucasus. At the 23 January meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, I supported a Council Decision establishing a civilian Common Security and Defence Policy Mission in Armenia, which will have an initial duration of two years. Its objective will be to contribute to decreasing the number of incidents in conflict-affected and border areas in Armenia, to reduce the level of risk for the population living in such areas, and to contribute to the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.