Artsakh Not As a Conflict Zone But a State: the International Bloggers’ Forum Is Over

• 03.23.2017, 16:49
•  World,  NKR

From March 19 to 21 in the capital city of Artsakh Republic (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), Stepanakert, the International Bloggers’ Forum took place. 30 bloggers from 11 different countries participated in the forum. To summarize the results of the event, "Armedia" IAA talked to the forum participants.

The Speaker of the forum, the director of "Ashkhar" Center for Strategic Research, Hrachya Arzumnayan, referring to the importance of the meeting noted: 

"Very often there is a need of not only political, diplomatic estimations but also of non-official ones, which are heard during such events. In addition, foreign participants, visiting Artsakh, get an opportunity to get acquainted with the reality there then to share their impressions with their colleagues abroad."

The expert of the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs, forum participant Gevorg Melikyan noted that the event gave the opportunity to the participants not to view Artsakh as a conflict zone but a state by personally getting acquainted with the situation on the ground. 

Refereeing to the importance of the forum, Gevorg Melikyan underlined four main points.

 "The event, first of all, is important by the fact that it gives opportunity to foreign journalists to personally get acquainted with Artsakh Republic. The ongoing Karabakh conflict makes many people believe that in Artsakh there are only ruins, the people are hungry. Thus, this is an opportunity for foreign guests to see the achievements of Artsakh during those years were. Second, each blogger has a network of its followers that also gives an opportunity to become informed about Artsakh. Third, if we consider the political context, then we are to state that after the Lapshin’s case, there was a concern that those people, who are in the Azerbaijani black least, will avoid visiting Artsakh. However, such kind of events prove that the opposite. And finally, forth, such events are tools to urge the international community to make a pressure on Azerbaijan not to hinder free movements of journalists and bloggers."

To add, the initiators of the event were the Artsakh Union of Journalist and "Artsakhakertum" NGO.