What the People Think: Town Hall Meetings Reveal the EU’s Potential and Limits in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Abstract

The vulnerable “no peace-no war” status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) conflict does not seem to be favourable for either party in the conflict. Despite the 1994 ceasefire, there is a constant threat that war will break out. Therefore, it might be more urgent for the international community to try to prevent imminent war than to commit itself to the diplomatic resolution of the conflict. Regular ceasefire violations increase the number of casual-ties and loss of life. Despite the insistence of mediators and third parties on a solely peaceful resolution to the NK conflict, the military rhetoric of the Azerbaijani president (which only serves to arouse hatred in his people) threatens a renewed call to war. That a new war could provide the final resolution of the NK conflict is increasingly a belief held by all parties in the conflict. This has been stated (at times with particular vigour) during the town hall meetings (THM) organised and carried out by the International Center for Human Development (ICHD), Armenia, and its partner in Azerbaijan, Youth for Development (YFD).