The European Bureau of Vestnik Kavkaza has spoken with freelance journalist Andre Widmer. For many years he has covered events in the former Soviet republics. His articles have been published in well-known Swiss and German publications such as NZZ, NZZ am Sonntag, Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Wochen Zeitung, Neues Deutschlandi and others. Widmer is also an author of the book ‘Forgotten Conflict’, dedicated to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. For a quarter of century few people in the world have been paying attention to the millions of internally displaced people, crippled lives, destroyed cities and villages. In fact, this is the result of the activity of the ideologists and practitioners of this artificially created conflict. Four resolutions adopted by the UN haven’t been fulfilled by the current Armenian leadership, which is not free in its actions. Meanwhile, the freezing of the conflict leads to a violation of the rights of hundreds of thousands of people. Andre Widmer is one of those who couldn’t stay away from their troubles, and loudly declared about war crimes, urging Europeans to pay attention to the Karabakh problem. The behavior of many of the leading world countries in relation to this conflict can surprise. It is a violation of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. More than 20 percent of its territory has been occupied, the country has about one million refugees and internally displaced persons, but nobody does anything to solve a problem that has existed for the past 25 years, neither does anyone realize that it is a small evil that creates great evil on a global scale. Humility with this injustice, impunity for the perpetrators of this conflict only means encouraging the creation of big problems in any country.
- Mr. Widmer, you are one of the few European journalists and photographers who have consistently engaged in the problems of conflicts in the post-Soviet area. What prompted your interest in the former Soviet Union countries?
In 2003 I privately visited Moscow with my father for the first time. Then I visited Moscow several times. During these trips I took an interest in the country and people’s lives. By 2006, I began my activity with the Eastern part. But I'm not a war photographer. With the exception of Donbass, this year I was concentrating on the subsequences of earlier wars – the results of such ‘frozen conflicts’ as Nagorno-Karabakh, that has continued for decades. First of all, I am a journalist who writes articles. But I also deal with illustrating my articles, I do it myself. People and places are often in the photographs. When you work as a freelance journalist, you must meet the quality standards of newspaper photographs. And I succeed in it.
- How did you come to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue?
- The name Nagorno-Karabakh was familiar to me from the headlines since the 1990’s, when I was quite young. And as a journalist I needed interesting topics. The longer I was involved in this conflict and the more I travelled to the South Caucasus, the greater became my interest. I was in Nagorno-Karabakh twice in a few days. During the third attempt to get into Nagorno-Karabakh through Armenia I was stopped at Yerevan Airport. I often visited Azerbaijan, staying there for several days. The most vivid impressions were destroyed towns like in Shusha and Agdam. Meetings with refugees were also very important.
- As far as I know, entry to Armenia is forbidden for you. Why have the Armenian authorities taken such a decision?
I haven't received an official response. I can only assume that my photos and articles about the ruined Armenia and plundered city of Agdam played a crucial role, as well as my trip to Agdam, as visiting this city is forbidden.
- What was the reaction of the European public to your book ‘Der vergessene Konflikt’ (‘ The Forgotten Conflict’), dedicated to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh?
Frankly speaking, my book was recognized as a high quality work, but at the same time, the level of sales was low. Yes, this conflict is forgotten. Moreover, forgotten and relegated to second place for many years. Such issues as Islamic State, refugees in the Mediterranean and in Europe and the war in the east of Ukraine are on the European agenda today. The topic of Nagorno-Karabakh is not often mentioned in the media. It's unfair to the refugees in Armenia and Azerbaijan, as they have the right to live in their own homeland. And a solution must be found in order to terminate the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories. The international community must take responsibility for resolving the conflict, as it is obvious that Armenia and Azerbaijan won’t be able to do this. If it is necessary, they should apply pressure.
- You have been in Donbass recently. What are your impressions from this trip?
The situation is unsteady. I ascertained this during my last visit in August. There was a shortage of medicines, especially for the treatment of chronic diseases. One of the reasons is the economic blockade imposed by the Ukrainian government against the separatist regions. The level of food products is extremely low. Many products are imported from Russia. It is summer now, and people in rural areas can provide themselves with products. But many receive aid packages. Today Lugansk and Donetsk are cut off from the world's cash flows. Banks are closed. Freedom of movement of people is limited by the system of passes and the small number of transitions between the government controlled territories of Ukraine and the areas under the control of separatists. Daily military actions cause concern. Strong explosions coming from more remote areas of the front line can be heard in the center of Donetsk, especially at night. Military operations are carried out in other areas. In fact, the war isn’t over. And this unfinished war is the main motive for the actions of people living in the region. One young man told me that he participated in demonstrations with a Ukrainian flag, but today he cannot understand Kiev. The blockade prevents it from winning the people’s favor in Donbas. The economic blockade, in my opinion, is an extremely serious problem. The civilian population suffers from it more than the separatist structures. Prices have doubled, all the products are imported from Russia.
- How, in your opinion, should the OSCE mechanisms be effective in order to ensure the ceasefire in the conflict zone?
- The position of the OSCE is problematic, because its reports seldom contain information about those who were responsible for shelling. I think that the position of the OSCE, as well as in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is of non-initiative. I cannot know what happens behind the scenes. However, it isn’t a good sign that military actions are continuing.
