New Study of Views of Population on Karabakh Conflict

Baku / 10/17/18 / Turan: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has affected the lives of people in the region so deeply that it has become an integral part of their identity. These are the findings of a research report conducted by the international non-governmental organization International Alert.

The Vision of Peace project is the largest research since the so-called "April war" of 2016 - the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh after the signing of the Agreement on an Indefinite Ceasefire in 1994.

As part of the study, a detailed survey of over 100 respondents was conducted in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The results of the study indicate that over time, people began to perceive the state of conflict as "normal." According to the authors of the report, this circumstance may make it difficult to resolve the conflict.

Surveys were conducted among rural, urban and metropolitan residents, as well as among those living near the front line and among internally displaced persons.

One of the important findings of the study was that people whose lives are more affected by the conflict are more inclined towards its peaceful resolution. This category includes those living near the contact line or at the border of states, direct participants in the conflict and witnesses of death and destruction (medical staff and former combatants), as well as young people of military age. In the case of Armenia and Azerbaijan, patriotic sentiments among respondents increase with distance from the front line.

"The results of the study indicate the need to tap the peacekeeping potential of the population directly confronted with the war and having the experience of coexistence with representatives of the "other side".

These people are aware of the importance of resolving the conflict and are able to take practical steps to promote peace initiatives," said Carey Cavanaugh, head of the Board of Trustees of International Alert, and in the past co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

According to the respondents, the conflict is too large to be resolved only by the population. Many believe that this task should be placed on the authorities or on external players, such as the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States or the Russian Federation. At the same time, as the authors of the report emphasize, the level of respondents' confidence in these players is low.

* The report "Vision of Peace: An Analysis of Views on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict" was published on October 17 in English and Russian.

The study was conducted in the framework of the EU initiative "European partnership for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict".

International Alert is one of the leading international organizations in the field of peacemaking. Its task is to work with people directly affected by conflicts, with the goal of building sustainable peace. www.international-alert.org -0--