S upporting chan ge
A checkpoint in Nagorno-Karabakh Photo: gettyimages/Matthias Schumann
Conflicts in the South Caucasus: between progress and stagnation FriEnt Activities FriEnt-Aktivitäten Some movement can be discerned in many areas in South Caucasus, not least as a result of the parliamentary elections in Georgia and the resulting change of government. The new government in Tbilisi promised change in the country’s relations with Russia and a shift in its position towards conflict regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Civil society organisations had high hopes of political change, which they expected to lead to an easing of the border regime, new forms of cooperation with partners from the conflict regions, and an improvement in conditions for those affected by the conflicts. But these hopes were disappointed: neither the systematic participation of civil society organisations nor the involvement of conflict-affected groups, particularly women, in the peace talks has been achieved in full. Furthermore, disputes over status issues, rights of return and security for internally displaced persons and refugees have resulted in deadlock in the negotiations. In the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, too, the cracking of the ice seemed to be within reach – but the minor thaw in this once frozen conflict seems to have cast even more of a cloud over relations between the conflict parties. In both countries, defence spending – funded on one side from oil revenue and on the other by external donors – has increased. At the same time, the warmongering rhetoric of political leaders and the growing number of border incidents are reminiscent of the escalating situation along Georgia’s internal borders which led to the outbreak of war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008. There is a growing fear on all sides that in the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, there will be an increase in the use of military force and a new war. Civil society organisations seem to have lost all hope in the peace negotiations between the two Presidents, which are supported by the international community. On the other hand, there are
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With the South Caucasus Round Table, FriEnt aims to promote a more nuanced debate about the complexity of, and interrelationships between, the conflicts in South Caucasus. The topics of the latest meetings were: Azerbaijan: A little peace? (February 2012) All quiet on the Eastern front? Managing conflict after the elections in Georgia (December 2012)
hopes and expectations of EU engagement, with a stronger focus on prevention in order to reach some kind of resolution to the conflict in the medium term. In this situation, constructive conflict management is more urgently needed than ever. Fresh opportunities lie in the systematic involvement of civil society in programme and policy dialogue, in capacity development, the promotion of democracy, and regional cooperation between the three countries in South Caucasus. Klaus Tanzberger, desk officer at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), explains: “Transboundary cooperation, which is promoted via the Caucasus Initiative in sectors such as nature conservation, energy, economic development, legal and judicial advice and municipal networking, aims to strengthen shared interests and promote dialogue. At the same time, at national level, building democratic institutions, municipal development, the promotion of an independent civil society, and human rights advocacy all have an important role to play. These measures help to create a basis for stable and peaceful societies and regional conflict mitigation with a view to achieving good-neighbourly relations.”