Wednesday November 11th 2020 at 4 PM (CET), 7 PM (AMT/AZT)
Moderator: Ondřej Zacha (Voxpot and Stratpol – Strategic Policy Institute)
Hosts: Laurence Broers (Conciliation Resources), Arzu Geybulla (peace activist originally from Azerbaijan), Gayane Ayvazyan (peace activist from Armenia)
It is more than a month from the beginning of the escalation of the fight over Nagorno Karabakh. The dead and the extent of the damage caused by the war are counted now in the media. But how do people who do not stand on the side of war as resolution? How can Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society use its will and imagination towards a peaceful solution? And what means the new peace agreement and presence of russian peacekeepers in the teritory?
What do people imagine when they talk about peace? Definitions vary radically, for some it is the absence of violence, for others it is a truce and stability for Armenians; restoring what they consider to be historical justice, through the return of internally displaced persons and countries, dignity and an international order for Azerbaijanis. These mutually exclusive interpretations of the word "peace" keep the parties in parallel universes and block any ability to imagine peace together.
Why is basic reciprocity, where both sides give up something they want to gain something else they want more, is perceived as a loss and utter humiliation.
We want to bring to the public voices calling for peace resolution of conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. It will be online debate for journalists and the broad public interested in the topic. It is co-organized by independent media Voxpot and it will be moderated by one of their journalists writing on Nagorno Karabakh.