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EU committed to civil society peace building efforts over Karabakh

7 November 2012 11:40 (UTC+04:00)
EU committed to civil society peace building efforts over Karabakh

The European Union has announced the launch of the second phase of the civil society program European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (EPNK), the EU said in a statement.

This program aims to support peace-building efforts concerning the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh by facilitating dialogue between civil society, media and policy-makers.

Established under the Instrument for Stability - the EU's special financial instrument created to support the peaceful settlement of conflicts, de-escalation of tensions and post-conflict rehabilitation worldwide - EPNK is a consortium of five European NGOs, which seeks to work with local partners in the South Caucasus on a wide range of peace-building projects and to help improve conditions for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process.

The program promotes a dynamic dialogue between a broad range of policymakers, media and civil society from all sides of the conflict. It also supports a wider participation of conflict-affected people in the peace process, including women, youth, internally displaced persons and refugees.

Program activities are arranged around three main themes: media, public policy and conflict affected groups. They aim to:

• Broaden the base of participation in peace-building initiatives,

• Build confidence between all sides of the conflict

• Promote fresh analysis and new ideas and

• Actively engage of civil society in dialogue with policy makers at national and international levels on the transformation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

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