Special envoy to the Caucasus steps down

No reason given for early departure from the post

The European Union’s special envoy to the Caucasus, Philippe Lefort, is stepping down tomorrow (31 January), five months before the end of his mandate. Neither Lefort, a French career diplomat, nor the European External Action Service (EEAS) has explained why he handed in his resignation in early January. The post will, however, be retained, and is expected to be filled shortly, with the appointee being given a mandate beyond June.

“It was essential that Mr Lefort’s excellent work be taken forward without interruption,” the EEAS told European Voice. Lefort and his two predecessors were tasked with helping EU and international efforts to resolve three conflicts dating from the early 1990s, when Georgia lost control of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and ethnic Armenians wrested Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan’s hands.

The decision to continue the post of EU special representative (EUSR) for the region bucks a trend toward reducing the number of special envoys and contrasts with the struggle in 2011 to retain the post.

When the mandate of the previous EUSR, Peter Semneby, expired in February 2011, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, left the position vacant until September. Ashton argued for its discontinuation but eventually bowed to calls from member states to retain the post.

A compromise was struck that resulted in the elimination of another position – of special envoy for the crisis in Georgia, a role created after the war between Georgia and Russia in 2008 – with the mandate of that post being added to Lefort’s. During the Georgian-Russian war, Lefort was France’s deputy ambassador to Russia.

Value

Question marks have persisted over the role and value of the envoy in the region. While the mandate includes efforts to broker peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, in practice Azerbaijan’s objections have resulted in EU special envoys – Lefort, Semneby and, before them, Heikki Talvitie – staying out of the disputed territory.

In Georgia, which has received more EU attention, there have been suggestions that the EU has been sending mixed messages. As well as a delegation in Tbilisi, the EU has a security mission in Georgia, the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM), with a mandate to monitor the implementation of the six-point agreement that ended the war in Georgia.

Diplomatic sources and others active in the Caucasus speak of a poor relationship between Ashton and Lefort. One diplomat said Lefort, who had previously served as ambassador to Georgia, had “even bigger problems in communication with Georgians”.

Member states felt that it was important to signal support for Georgia’s decision to strike political and trade agreements with the EU in November, as well as for conflict resolution in the region. Georgia’s ambition to move closer to the EU is seen as leaving it vulnerable to additional pressure from Russia.

France plays a large role in the region. In 2008, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, led the EU’s efforts to end the war in Georgia. France is also one of the three countries – with Russia and the United States – that lead the Minsk Group formed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in an effort to settle the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ashton’s decision to continue the post contrasts sharply with her willingness to go against the wishes of EU member states over other special-envoy posts, notably in December when she abolished the post of special envoy for the Middle East peace process.

In a review of the EEAS published in mid-2013, Ashton argued that the role of special envoys should be fully absorbed into the EEAS. At present, they are funded out of a budget controlled by the European Commission, and nominations must be approved by member states. However, the foreign policy chief has the sole right to create and abolish the post of EUSR, and the responsibility for selecting envoys.

Member states are currently debating Ashton’s proposal. The mandates of seven other envoys expire in mid-2014.

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