Karabakh - The Elephant in The Room

I've recently come across a blog entry or an outcry of one Azeri soul on the enmity between Armenians and Azeris so widespread in both societies. The bottom line is - we create this "otherness" due to the lack of communication between our nations, and in most of the cases this hatred is imposed and cultivated by various political forces; if only we could talk to each other, the things might get changed. 

Last week brought us worrisome news - shootings on Armenian-Azerbaijani border with three shot conscripts from the Armenian side and one Azeri soldier. It all comes just a week before the parliamentary elections scheduled in Armenia. And in his pre-election zeal to address the population, Armenian president Serzh Sarkisian has promised to react:

To my regret, none of the EU Foreign Services expressed their concern with this dangerous situation and deadly shootings, even the Irish (Ireland now holds the OSCE Chairmanship). Despite the recent inflow of EU diplomats to both countries-at-conflict, I still feel that this boiling conflict is being perceived like an "elephant in the room", e.g. no one wants to discuss it seriously and the obvious truth - resumption of war - is being ignored. Somehow we - Europeans - do not realise that in the worst case scenario, we will be the ones who will pay the price by sending humanitarian relief, accepting refugees and facing the disruption of deliveries of Caspian gas and oil. I am afraid that these skirmishes along the Line of Contact have become a daily routine not only for Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also for European capitals. This is a dangerous trend.

Bearing in mind that this "otherness" is so deeply routed in both nations-at-conflict, political resolution of the conflict will not be so much helpful as it perceived from the first sight. Like I wrote in one of my previous posts:

"Armenian leadership is not yet ready to take such a bold decision; it not only lacks political capital to spend but also legitimacy among Armenian population. Any concession of land to the Azerbaijani side could result in the loss of power and political turmoil"

Katy Pearce 

"Otherness" comes from the lack of proper communication, and so far efforts to bridge these two societies, at least young generation, are not enough. And this is where the EU money should be channeled in. Nationalism and lack of active citizenship represent a big hurdle on this reconciliation path, and these issues should be addressed as well.