Commonspace, a publication by LINKS Europe, has published my latest on the need for positive and alternative narratives in the Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict. This has been a problem for decades and while any grim reality needs to be reported on that should not be at the expense of genuine real-world positive examples that can at least represent a glimmer of hope for two societies that remain isolated from each other.
It remains a distant but vivid memory – visiting Armenia for the first time in 1994 only to immediately depart from Yerevan for Stepanakert by military helicopter. During that visit to Karabakh, after hearing that Azerbaijani Prisoners of War (PoWs) were being held on a secure wing of the old maternity hospital, we decided to check on their condition. But as myself and two other journalists were escorted into the guarded ward by a humanitarian aid worker, we were instead confronted by a somewhat confusing sight – children playing together.
But then, the group of children was suddenly separated. Half were instructed to leave the ward while the other half ran off to join their mother. It turned out that those that left were Karabakh Armenians allowed in to play with the Azerbaijani children who were being held captive. The PoWs were mainly bed-ridden in separate rooms. It was a different time back then, of course, when inter-communal memories still existed though other prisoners and hostages experienced far worse and even the unthinkable, but the scene encapsulated some humanity if only for a moment.
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Fast forward to this summer and a random visit to a restaurant in the majority ethnic Azerbaijani town of Marneuli in Georgia. Azerbaijani could be heard spoken at every table but one. There, two middle-aged women sat with two children aged 9 and 7-years-old speaking Armenian. That shouldn’t come a surprise. The municipality is home to just over 107,000 people – 83.8 percent ethnic Azerbaijani with 8.6 and 7 percent respectively comprising ethnic Georgians and Armenians.
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Though not diminishing the severity of the Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, nor the importance of the need to heal wounds freshly reopened by the past three years, few outside Georgia get to hear about this reality. In contrast, many unfortunately know that on a visit to Moscow in 2003 then Armenian President Robert Kocharyan spoke of “ethnic incompatibility” between the two groups despite the absurdity of such claims.
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It won’t be quick, and it won’t be easy, but it will be better if the framing of relations between the two countries is transformed sooner rather than later. Some civil society organisations have attempted to do this in the past but their reach remains negligible, especially among mainstream society. The mainstream mass media will be important here while tangible and visible confidence building measures will be necessary where it matters – on the ground and involving every day folk. Hopefully that can finally occur next year if an agreement is signed.
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But it should become a new reality even if it isn’t yet.
The full opinion piece can be read online here.
