Press Release Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit Ref: 733a07 Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93 Fax :+33 3 90 21 41 34 [email protected] internet: www.coe.int/press PACE seeks to relaunch discussions on frozen conflicts in Europe 47 members Strasbourg, 31.10.2007 – The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Albania Council of Europe (PACE), which seeks to enforce the honouring of obligations and Andorra commitments by the Council's member states, will be holding a hearing on "frozen conflicts" Armenia in cooperation with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), at the Austria Bundestag in Berlin on 5 and 6 November 2007, focusing on the situations in Nagorno- Azerbaijan Karabakh, , and Transnistria. Belgium Bosnia and On joining the Council of Europe, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova undertook to Herzegovina seek peaceful settlements to these conflicts, and the Russian Federation has also entered Bulgaria into specific commitments regarding certain of these regions. Croatia Cyprus The hearing has the twofold objective of bringing together leading experts and government Czech Republic ministers to take stock of the current situation with regard to each of these conflicts and of Denmark initiating a debate on the Council of Europe's future role in the conflict settlement process. Estonia Finland On the first day the hearing will take the form of an exchange of views between the France committee's members and experts (historians, researchers, international legal specialists, Georgia think tank representatives) and will help clarify the positions of the parties to the conflicts through discussion of the established facts. Greece Hungary The following day will be devoted to discussions with senior government representatives Iceland from the countries concerned. The committee will then hold a meeting in camera in the Ireland afternoon to analyse the hearing's results. Latvia A press conference will take place at 2 pm on 6 November at the Bundestag (Marie- Liechtenstein Elisabeth Lüders Haus, Adele Schreiber Krieger Strasse 1, Berlin, Room 3.101) moderated Lithuania by the Chair of the Monitoring Committee Eduard Lintner and SWP Director Uwe Halbach, Luxembourg with the participation of: Malta Moldova Monaco - Armenia: Varujan Nersisyan, member of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict negotiation Montenegro team, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Netherlands - Azerbaijan: Araz Azimov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Norway - Georgia: Davit Bakradze, State Minister for Conflict Settlement Poland - Moldova: Vasilii Şova, Minister of Reintegration Portugal - Russian Federation: Valery Kenyaykin and Valery Nesterushkin, Ambassadors-at- Romania large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Russia San Marino Programme of the hearing Serbia List of participants Slovakia Slovenia Relevant PACE documents and other documents on Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Spain Ossetia and Transnistria Sweden Switzerland Other reference texts: “The former Yugoslav Resolution 1497 (2006) on refugees and displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Republic of Georgia Macedonia” Resolution 1553 (2007) on missing persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia from the Turkey conflicts over the Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions Ukraine United Kingdom Contact: Nathalie Bargellini, PACE Communication Unit, mobile: +33 (0)6 65 40 32 82

The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 318 members from the national parliaments of the 47 member states. President: René van der Linden (Netherlands, EPP/CD); Secretary General of the Assembly: Mateo Sorinas. Political Groups: SOC (Socialist Group); EPP/CD (Group of the European People's Party); ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe); EDG (European Democratic Group); UEL (Group of the Unified European Left).