OSCE and Italy are facing the issue of the “protracted conflicts” at EU’s doorstep: a timely conference held in Ca’ Foscari

On December 10 Ca’ Foscari hosted a conference entitled “OSCE, Italy and the protracted conflicts at EU’s doorstep. The conflicts in the southern Caucasus and the issues of cohabitation in the Eurasian space”. The conference draws inspiration from the forthcoming conclusion of the Italy’s OSCE Presidency to take stock of the so-called "protracted" conflicts of the post-Soviet space, one of the problems that, over the past quarter of a century, has been undermining the coherent and inclusive development of cooperation in the European space. 

The conference was divided into two sessions. The first session gave voice to representatives of national institutions who are or have been engaged in different ways with the planning and execution of Italian foreign policy. Among the latter were Ambassador Alessandro Azzoni, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, and Lia Quartapelle, MP and member of the Chamber of Deputies’ Foreign Affairs Committee. The second session, which was more academic in nature, aimed to highlight the issues of international and regional coexistence upon which the protracted conflicts have a more or less direct influence.

Both sessions devoted special attention to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, not only due to its inter-state nature, but also as a consequence of the improving partnership between Italy and Azerbaijan and the growing national interests at play in the country. In this sense, particularly significant was the speech given by Dr. Mario Raffaelli, former Undersecretary to Foreign Affairs and first chairperson of the OSCE Minsk Group, who encouraged a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.