EUROPE MUST SUPPORT KARABAKH AND PEACE
Nicolas Tavitian

AGBU Europe Campaign
Jan 18, 2010

International co-operation and conflict resolution are among the
European Union’s core values. The reconciliation between France and
Germany after World War II is the ultimate reference in conflict
transformation, and served as inspiration for many an attempt at
resolving disputes since 1991.

Then, as now, the European institutions combined economic development
with international cooperation to promote understanding between
nations. Today, the EU funds projects everywhere in Europe and in its
neighbourhood, including in conflict areas. It is particularly keen
on promoting cooperation across borders in all regions of Europe,
including in the fractious Balkans, in Cyprus or between Greece and
Turkey for instance. With creditable single-mindedness, the EU has
promoted humanitarian or development assistance in conflict zones.

In conflict areas, the Union also promotes "confidence-building"
initiatives and programmes aimed at supporting the civilian populations
who suffered from conflicts and their aftermath.

In Ossetia and Abkhazia, for instance, millions have been spent on
economic assistance. After the war of August 2008 between Georgia
and Russia, the EU redoubled its support with reconstruction and
humanitarian assistance [1].

In sum, Europe is present everywhere in Europe. Except in Karabakh.

Since the end of the war over the territory, in 1994, the European
Union has accepted no contact with the authorities of Karabakh or
with its civil society, has granted absolutely no humanitarian or
economic support to Karabakh and has authorized no confidence-building
measures. The EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus,
Peter Semneby, has never been to Karabakh, though he regularly travels
to Sukhumi (Abkhazia) and to Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). Two republics
which EU Member States do not recognize as independent countries any
more than they recognize Karabakh.

Since the war, Azerbaijan’s approach has been to blockade Karabakh and
exclude it from negotiations about its own future. But Azerbaijan’s
policy of isolating Karabakh is neither effective nor justifiable. If
Azerbaijan is serious about conflict resolution, it will have to
accept to talk with the leadership of Karabakh proper and to engage
in confidence-building between the societies of Azerbaijan and of
Karabakh.

[The] Azerbaijani army and society should be ready to liberate our
lands from occupants any time in every possible way. Heydar Aliyev,
President of Azerbaijan. 25, December, 2009 Yet the EU itself is
acting as if it had joined this boycott, in stark contradiction with
its values and practices in almost every other part of the world.

Isolating Karabakh is an ineffective policy from the point of view of
conflict resolution and reconciliation; it is also immoral. It is now
universally recognized that populations should not be held hostage to
international conflict. It is this logic which has led the Union to
provide support to populations, regardless of their country’s regime.

The EU even funded humanitarian aid in such pariah states as Iraq
under Saddam Hussein, in Myanmar and in North Korea as well as in
non recognized states such as Transnistria, Kosovo and many others.

In stark contrast with EU policy, the USA, for one, do provide
humanitarian aid to projects in Karabakh. The US Congress voted a
new budget of 8 million in December 2009.

The argument in favour of engaging with Karabakh and its society
is overwhelming and AGBU Europe is now running a campaign urging
the European institutions to establish contact with the leadership
in Karabakh without waiting any longer and to provide humanitarian
assistance to the people of Karabakh.

The organisation is also calling upon the EU to promote
confidence-building measures between Armenians in Karabakh and Azeris.

Without such confidence-building measures, the Minsk Group peace
negotiations are unlikely to bring about a lasting peace, regardless
of the skill or imagination of the diplomats involves.

Additionally, in view of the threats of war repeatedly made by
the leadership of Azerbaijan, AGBU also calls upon the European
institutions to consider deploying a presence on the contact line
between the Armenian and Azeri soldiers. This should help prevent
the resumption of a war.

AGBU began its work in support of Karabakh at EU level in 2008. The
organisation hosted the first visit by NK representatives to the EU
institutions since 1999. It has also recently had the opportunity to
hold a round table to bring to the attention of EU decision-makers
the numerous instances of destruction of Armenian heritage which have
recently taken place in Azerbaijan.

Raising these concerns has already borne some fruit. The European
Commission organized an informal meeting bringing together
representatives of civil society in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Karabakh
and it is currently studying measures to be set in place to help
promote exchanges between Armenians and Azeris. But much remains to
be done and AGBU Europe calls on all people of goodwill to contribute
to disseminating its message to decision-makers in EU Member States.

Of all "non-recognized" territories in Europe, Karabakh has suffered
the most from a brutal repression, from the war, and from a 17-year
blockade. It deserves the humanitarian support of the European Union
and will obtain it, if its case is made.

1. A complete, official report on the subject is available at:
ov09.doc