Resolution on the Caucasus

Meeting of the Socialist International Committee for Central and Eastern Europe, Warsaw, Poland, 17-18 September 1999

The Socialist International Committee for Central and Eastern Europe, SICEE, meeting in Warsaw on 17-18 September 1999,

Considering that positive changes towards the consolidation of democracy have taken place in the South Caucasian republics despite the fact that political and economic reforms have not yet been implemented;

Recognising that the Caucasus is a region which requires our constant attention;

Noting that there are still unresolved ethnic conflicts which continue to be cause for concern,

Proposes to the XXI Congress of the Socialist International,

1. To call on the authorities of all countries in the region to fully implement the democratic rules and standards recognised by the international community.

2. To elaborate and execute a working agenda for the further improvement of democracy and the economic development of the region.

3. To urge all governments in the region to set aside the conflicts of recent years on the basis of negotiations and the principles set out by international law and the OSCE.

4. To support the Minsk Group of the OSCE in its efforts to find mutually acceptable solutions for a durable resolution of the conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh, through direct negotiations between all the conflicting parties.