Improving chances for peace in the South Caucasus
Situated between the Black and Caspian Seas, the South Caucasus region consists of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and the disputed territories of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorny Karabakh.
Rich oil reserves and the region’s strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia have attracted international interest. But since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have grappled with the challenges of state-building and forging new political identities.
Several wars in the early 1990s left more than 30,000 people dead and at least a million displaced from their homes. The legacy of these violent conflicts is economic turmoil, political instability, mass migration and widespread suffering. With its borders disputed and its people divided, the region faces an uncertain future.
Fragile official ceasefires preserved some stability for over a decade, yet internationally mediated peace talks failed to bring lasting solutions. In August 2008 violent conflict erupted in South Ossetia, leading to military confrontation between Georgia and Russia. Russia has since recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.
Conciliation Resources focuses on the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and the conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis over Nagorny Karabakh. Our goal is to improve the chances for a peaceful transformation of these conflicts. We believe the only way to achieve this is through working with local people to tackle the root causes and by making a long-term commitment to the region.
We do not take a position on the final outcome of either conflict, but believe local people must own the process of transforming their conflicts and that any settlement must be acceptable to all sides.
