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Turan news agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 18 2013
Azeri, Armenian NGOs launch joint website to promote conflict resolution
Baku, 18 January: A presentation of an Armenian-Azerbaijani website,
www.publicdialouges.info, took place at Park Inn Hotel on Friday. The
project was funded by the British embassies in Azerbaijan and Armenia
and implemented by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (Azerbaijan)
and Armenian NGO Region.
When countries are in a state of war, they should fight, not
negotiate. But when there are no combat operations, all the
opportunities should be used for a peaceful resolution of the
conflict, the head of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, Leyla
Yunus, said.
[Passage omitted: background information on the Institute for Peace
and Democracy]
As to the website, its formation started in October 2012. Parallel
interviews have been published on the website with the same questions
answered by both Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives. Such an
approach provides more opportunities to have a full picture of the
situation in conflicting countries. Topics of the interviews are
different ranging from social and public to conflict resolution and
opinions on peaceful negotiations.
Apart from it, the website contains online interviews with different
international experts, representatives of various organizations and
political experts. Among the interviewers are Thomas De Waal, Sabina
Fraser, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for
the South Caucasus Padraig Murphy, Minister for Reintegration of
Georgia Paata Zakareishvili and many others.
Meanwhile, from Azerbaijan only [MP] Rasim Musabayov and Ilqar
Mammadov [of REAL movement] took part in an online interview. They
answered questions of Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists live.
The protests of two women at the presentation, who evidently were
trying to disturb the event, added intrigue to the presentation. The
women were affected by the conflict and lost their relatives, they did
not fully understand what was going on at the event. They said that
they cannot understand how dialogue with Armenians can be built while
the territory is still under the occupation.
French ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Monye answered their questions
with kindness and sympathized with their loss and pain. He reminded of
the conflict between Germany and France which lasted for many years.
His relatives fought in that war but today it does not mean that the
conflict continues between representatives of both countries. He noted
that any war ends with peace. French diplomat thinks that the project
is very important, the more people from both countries communicate the
closer they are to peace.
German ambassador Herbert Kvelle said that the history of Germany is
about conflicts with neighbouring countries - with France and Poland.
However, it is important to look forward without glancing back. The
meeting was also attended by the Polish ambassador and first
secretaries of Swiss, Holland, US and British embassies. A similar
meeting took place in Yerevan on 16 January.
We should note that because of the project, the official media in
Azerbaijan attacked Leyla Yunus, blaming her for the betrayal of
national interests and cooperation with Armenians.
[Translated from Russian]
Jan 18 2013
Azeri, Armenian NGOs launch joint website to promote conflict resolution
Baku, 18 January: A presentation of an Armenian-Azerbaijani website,
www.publicdialouges.info, took place at Park Inn Hotel on Friday. The
project was funded by the British embassies in Azerbaijan and Armenia
and implemented by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (Azerbaijan)
and Armenian NGO Region.
When countries are in a state of war, they should fight, not
negotiate. But when there are no combat operations, all the
opportunities should be used for a peaceful resolution of the
conflict, the head of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, Leyla
Yunus, said.
[Passage omitted: background information on the Institute for Peace
and Democracy]
As to the website, its formation started in October 2012. Parallel
interviews have been published on the website with the same questions
answered by both Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives. Such an
approach provides more opportunities to have a full picture of the
situation in conflicting countries. Topics of the interviews are
different ranging from social and public to conflict resolution and
opinions on peaceful negotiations.
Apart from it, the website contains online interviews with different
international experts, representatives of various organizations and
political experts. Among the interviewers are Thomas De Waal, Sabina
Fraser, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for
the South Caucasus Padraig Murphy, Minister for Reintegration of
Georgia Paata Zakareishvili and many others.
Meanwhile, from Azerbaijan only [MP] Rasim Musabayov and Ilqar
Mammadov [of REAL movement] took part in an online interview. They
answered questions of Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists live.
The protests of two women at the presentation, who evidently were
trying to disturb the event, added intrigue to the presentation. The
women were affected by the conflict and lost their relatives, they did
not fully understand what was going on at the event. They said that
they cannot understand how dialogue with Armenians can be built while
the territory is still under the occupation.
French ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Monye answered their questions
with kindness and sympathized with their loss and pain. He reminded of
the conflict between Germany and France which lasted for many years.
His relatives fought in that war but today it does not mean that the
conflict continues between representatives of both countries. He noted
that any war ends with peace. French diplomat thinks that the project
is very important, the more people from both countries communicate the
closer they are to peace.
German ambassador Herbert Kvelle said that the history of Germany is
about conflicts with neighbouring countries - with France and Poland.
However, it is important to look forward without glancing back. The
meeting was also attended by the Polish ambassador and first
secretaries of Swiss, Holland, US and British embassies. A similar
meeting took place in Yerevan on 16 January.
We should note that because of the project, the official media in
Azerbaijan attacked Leyla Yunus, blaming her for the betrayal of
national interests and cooperation with Armenians.
[Translated from Russian]