21 years ago on May 12 ceasefire agreement signed during the Bishkek process between
In 2015, there is an unprecedented increase in the number of border incidents provoked by
Of course, in parallel with this the attempts of the mediators directed towards using any opportunity of an event with the participation of
In terms of trying to achieve peace it is not effective at all to follow how one side of the conflict tries to make the use of force as a means for influenceing the process and the outcome of negotiations. The same mediators have repeatedly voiced the need for confidence building between the parties. What kind of trust there can be under the gunfire? How can we trust a country where the official websites delete the Armenian flag from a photo and promote hatred towards Armenians at the presidential level?
So maybe is it the time for mediators to use all their opportunities to establish trust or remove existing obstacles? In this context, it can be very important, for example, in parallel with the negotiations to sign an agreement on non-use of force or threat of force. Another method to establish trust is monitoring and formation, use of mechanisms for the expression of xenophobic statements by government officials and the media by the conflicting parties. This, by the way, can be done by the Council of Europe, which is so eager to contribute to the solution of the conflict, and in the territory of which are Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as Nagorno-Karabakh Republic - recognized or not recognized.
Such kind of ideas can be a lot, but it is worth noting that it is time for mediators to prefer real peace in the region that is perhaps more modest, but definitely more urgent to ambitious goal of a peace agreement between the conflicting parties.