© 2021. PHOTO BY PEACE DIALOGUE NGO. AUTHOR: MARIANNA KHAZHAKYAN
On 3-5 September, 2021 Peace Dialogue NGO conducted Open Narratives: Fostering Critical Conversation on Social and Political Impacts of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict three-day course. The event was aimed at developing and improving methodology for promoting public dialogue on the root causes of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the impacts and ways of overcoming the crisis in the region as a result of the 44-day war.
Author: Marianna Khazhakyan
During the event, fifteen teachers, psychologists, journalists, researchers, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations from different localities of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh made a joint effort to conduct a profound analysis of the causes and consequences of the war.
Based on the methodology developed by Peace Dialogue, the participants touched upon various issues related to the conflict, including security challenges, the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and human rights-related issues. In addition, questions related to public perceptions of identity formation as well as the terms “patriotism“, “nationalism” and “militarization” became the subject of a comprehensive discussion among the participants during the course.
Silvia Zehe, the political adviser of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, who was invited to attend the opening day of the event, mentioned in her speech that although she was completely aware of the complexity of discussing such sensitive issues, especially given the increasing challenges, she emphasized the importance of a dialogue to address existing issues at the level of civil society.
“Although the final and long-term solutions to the problems are in the realm of political decision-making, the importance of building a healthy debate on such sensitive issues at the civil society level should not be overlooked” mentioned Ms. Zehe, adding that more people from the settlements located on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border should also be involved in further events in the scope of the project.
On the last day of the course, Peace Dialogue staff initiated a discussion aimed at developing further joint initiatives of similar discussions among the participants’ circles and stakeholders. The participants emphasized the need to organize such discussions in their professional environment, highlighting the need for further joint events, especially for the participants of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, taking into consideration the differences in perceptions and views on many issues.
The event was organized in coordination with Conciliation Resources organization with the financial support of the European Union.
