On December 10th in Tbilisi the international conference Alternative Information for Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue was opened. The participants are representatives of the mass media and non-governmental organizations of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The conference was held within the framework of the project by the research center Region (Armenia) and the Institute of Peace and Democracy (Azerbaijan).
Initiators invited ten journalists from Armenia and Azerbaijan, who deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The director of the regional project South Caucasus: Political Dialogue of Conrad Adenauer Fund, Ganan Atilgan, the manager of the South Caucasus Regional Office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, Iris Kempe, the director of the International Crisis Group, Lawrence Shits, and the director of the South Caucasus Office of the Fridrich Ebert Foundation, Mattias Jubelius.
Journalists conducted dozens of online-interview with Armenian, Azerbaijani, Russian and European experts. Project partners have been working in several directions for providing the media with first-hand information on various spheres of life in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The project (except the Karabakh problem) included preparation of a series of parallel interviews of Armenian and Azerbaijani experts on problems of young people, education, the mass media, democratic liberties, migration, justice system, development of information technologies, citizen sector, religious freedom, social security of population, and economy. Aspects of broadcasting so-called alternative information about Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the Armenian and Azerbaijani media were presented widely.
Laura Bagdasaryan, the head of the research center Region, said that the project is aimed at providing the mass media, readers of two countries and society in general with alternative information, alternative views, which exist in two societies, and not only about Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.
Arif Yunusov, the head of the Conflictology and Migration Department of the Institute of Peace and Democracy, noted that the project tries to get rid of the image of an enemy, which was formed in both societies. “When negotiations take place, the biggest problem is accepting of their results by society. During the conflict many stereotypes, prejudice and myths appeared,” he said.
Speeches by Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists were very regardful. Participants of the conference shared the view that the Karabakh conflict can be settled only if mutual desire to compromise appears in the authorities of the countries, which are involved in the conflict. Even mediation of superpowers cannot be effective, if both sides don’t want to settle the conflict.
Journalists and experts watched the movie Between Peace and War, which was shot within the framework of the joint project of the research center Region and the Institute of Peace and Democracy supported by the Delegation of European Commission in Armenia. The movie told about public opinion polls’ results about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts, conducted in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and position of citizens of two countries. Special attention was paid to propaganda wars between programmers and journalists of two states.
David Stepanyan, Yerevan-Tbilisi. Exclusively to VK
