Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani Opposition Press
 Wednesday


New Study of Views of Population on Karabakh Conflict


Baku / 10/17/18 / Turan: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has affected
the lives of people in the region so deeply that it has become an
integral part of their identity. These are the findings of a research
report conducted by the international non-governmental organization
International Alert.

The Vision of Peace project is the largest research since the
so-called "April war" of 2016 - the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh after
the signing of the Agreement on an Indefinite Ceasefire in 1994.

As part of the study, a detailed survey of over 100 respondents was
conducted in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The results of the study indicate that over time, people began to
perceive the state of conflict as "normal." According to the authors
of the report, this circumstance may make it difficult to resolve the
conflict.

Surveys were conducted among rural, urban and metropolitan residents,
as well as among those living near the front line and among internally
displaced persons.

One of the important findings of the study was that people whose lives
are more affected by the conflict are more inclined towards its
peaceful resolution. This category includes those living near the
contact line or at the border of states, direct participants in the
conflict and witnesses of death and destruction (medical staff and
former combatants), as well as young people of military age. In the
case of Armenia and Azerbaijan, patriotic sentiments among respondents
increase with distance from the front line.

"The results of the study indicate the need to tap the peacekeeping
potential of the population directly confronted with the war and
having the experience of coexistence with representatives of the
"other side".

These people are aware of the importance of resolving the conflict and
are able to take practical steps to promote peace initiatives," said
Carey Cavanaugh, head of the Board of Trustees of International Alert,
and in the past co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

According to the respondents, the conflict is too large to be resolved
only by the population. Many believe that this task should be placed
on the authorities or on external players, such as the OSCE Minsk
Group, the United States or the Russian Federation. At the same time,
as the authors of the report emphasize, the level of respondents'
confidence in these players is low.

* The report "Vision of Peace: An Analysis of Views on the
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict" was published on October 17 in English and
Russian.

The study was conducted in the framework of the EU initiative
"European partnership for the peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict".

International Alert is one of the leading international organizations
in the field of peacemaking. Its task is to work with people directly
affected by conflicts, with the goal of building sustainable peace.