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16.7 km south of Lachin \u00a9 Onnik James Krikorian 2006<\/em><\/p>\n Today marks the 20th Anniversary of the May 1994 Ceasefire Agreement that put the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh on hold. Unfortunately, this is not a date to celebrate. Thousands have died since the armistice was signed, and two decades later, the sides are nowhere closer to peace than they were back then.<\/p>\n In fact, the environment today might even be the least conducive for peace ever.<\/p>\n True, as followers of my work will know, I\u2019ve been using new online tools to bring the sides together<\/a>, training journalists and activists from each, since 2009. During that time I have seen how much Armenians and Azerbaijanis actually have in common with each other, but with just enough diversity to contribute to the rich cultural tapestry of the South Caucasus.<\/p>\n This is especially true in Georgia where ethnic Armenians and Azeris even co-inhabit the same villages<\/a> and speak each other\u2019s language. However, the reality in Armenia and Azerbaijan proper is that the vast majority among a new generation is unable to remember a time when both peoples lived together in peace. Many even think it is impossible, although clearly it is not.<\/p>\n The problem is that open discussion about the need for peace is missing. Governments use the conflict for their own internal political needs and those civil society organisations working in this area are not inclusive enough and often in competition with each other. In such an environment, nationalist and militarist rhetoric engulfs the alternative.<\/p>\n To mark the 20th anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire \u2014 and 20 years since I first visited Karabakh<\/a> for The Independent \u2014 I had been planning to write a blog post detailing my hopes for a lasting settlement, but others have beaten me to it. There\u2019s also very little to add. The U.S. Embassy in Armenia, for example, tweeted the situation in a nutshell:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]