Armenia and Azerbaijan as seen from Tekali, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian 2011

TEKALI, Georgia -- May 2011 will mark the 17th anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan which effectively put the conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh on hold. Since then, in addition to skirmishes on the line of contact which claim dozens of lives each year, attempts to find a lasting peaceful solution to the conflict under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group have faltered. Indeed, following bellicose and less than conciliatory remarks from the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents at the OSCE Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, late last year, talk this year has been more about the need for conflict prevention rather than resolution, especially in an environment which has seen Azerbaijan's military budget spiral to over $3.1 billion and renew talk of another war.

In addition to the lack of political will to make necessary but unpopular compromises, observers and analysts also believe that societies themselves are unprepared for peace. Indeed, some argue, not only do both receive an almost constant barrage of negative propaganda and sometimes even misinformation designed only to perpetuate the conflict, but civil society has been largely ineffective in terms of peacebuilding activities and initiatives. Too often, as mentioned in a previous post, such projects have been shrouded in secrecy and seldom receive exposure in wider society, while also usually excluding anyone outside of the narrow social and political networks which most NGOs often operate in. Others, such as Primož Šporar and Micael Bogar believe that civil society has simply become complacent and feels threatened by innovation or grassroots initiatives.

And it's not hard to see why.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are made available by international donors simply to convene meetings lasting just a few days and comprising not much more than a dozen participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan gathering in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, or relatively expensive holiday resorts. Yet, others are looking for another approach. Rather than pay anywhere between $170-250 a night per participant for accommodation in a 4 or 5-star hotel, a fraction of that could be spent in other locations where it would be far more effective. One of those places is Tekali, Georgia. Situated just 29 kilometers from the border between Georgia and Armenia, it is also 10 kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan. Inhabited by ethnic Azeris, the largest minority in Georgia, there are also pockets of ethnic Armenians living in co-inhabited villages and towns.

Not only would travel to the village therefore be quicker and cost significantly less, but examples of Armenian-Azerbaijan coexistence exist in close proximity. However, there's just one problem. Tekali and the larger nearby village of Khachagan, as well as the surrounding region, are impoverished and lack the necessary infrastructure to host such initiatives.

 

Azeri Tea House, Khachagan, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian 2011

House of Culture, Khachagan, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian 2011

Khachagan, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian 2011

That alone, however, is not reason enough to overlook such a possibility.

 

International donors fund dozens of projects each to the tune of ridiculous amounts every year, but much of that money goes towards covering unnecessary expenses such as travel, accommodation and 'administrative overheads.' Yet, if income for expensive hotels in Tbilisi or elsewhere in Georgia has less of an effect on the country's development than normal tourism, it could change the situation in locations such as Tekali almost overnight while also contributing to improving the lot of Georgia's minorities -- a priority and very pressing need for the national authorities. Such an approach is one favored by seemingly few genuine peace activists exist in the region. One of those is Georgi Vanyan, from South Caucasus Integration: Alternative Start, who recently found himself on the receiving end of nationalist abuse and threats following an ill-fated attempt to host an Azerbaijani film festival in Armenia.

 

Last week I traveled with Vanyan to Georgia to visit Tekali to take a look at the proposed site and idea detailed in a press release last year.

The establishment of the peacemaking center in the village of Tekali will be the first step and essential base for the “expansion” towards Armenia and Azerbaijan and creation of a free communication zone for citizens of the three countries on the junction of the three borders. Later on, a free trade zone, tourist centers, art fairs etc. might be opened there.

We are firmly convinced that even today there is enough potential for the start, and we believe that each step towards the realization of this idea will be a real, concrete, visible and effective contribution into the peace and safety of our region. We call to all citizens and organizations to transfer their current projects there and initiate works to equip the locality with modern services and utilities.

This proposal is based on our firm belief that Armenian-Azeri dialogue may take place only under the conditions of revival of the South Caucasus region, the revival of regional thinking and regional integration and safety. Georgia is a part of this region, its central player.

First off, it has to be said, Vanyan knows his way around Georgia. Until it was recently canceled, a flight between Yerevan and Tbilisi cost $85 one way. Taking just 35 minutes, it might have been more expensive than the daily minivans which operate the same route for around $17, but it was significantly quicker than anywhere between 6-9 hours by road. Surprisingly, though, Vanyan managed to make the journey, which included using public transport in Georgia, in less than 5 hours for just $9. More significantly, perhaps, this also included a 30 minute stop in Marneuli, a main regional center co-inhabited by both ethnic Armenians and Azeris, a reality little known to most in Armenia and Azerbaijan even if the citizens from the former pass through it without stopping on their way to Tbilisi by private van.

Such an example of coexistence is seldom, if ever, mentioned by the press in both countries and sorely needs more exposure when the media instead disseminates propaganda reinforcing nationalist notions of 'ethnic incompatibility.'

Regardless, the main point of the visit was to see Tekali and Khachagan, and yes, a lot of work needs to be done. However, as the area needs rejuvination and development while also occupying a strategic location on the intersection of all three South Caucasus countries, it is crying out for such projects. Locals also spoke about environmental problems originating from the copper plant in the Armenian town of Alaverdi an hour across the border so even in that area it could be a good venue for cross-border ecological projects and meetings. Moreover, unlike Tbilisi, where Armenians and Azerbaijanis usually switch SIM cards to Georgian operators to avoid expensive roaming charges, cell phone signals from the entire region can also be picked up. Local [ethnic Azeri] officials were also positively disposed to the idea as well they might be given what a positive impact it could have on the area.

 

Georgi Vanyan (right) meeting with local officials at a school in Tekali, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian 2011

Cellular signals from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Tekali, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian 2011

Today, scores of coaches wait to take people to Azerbaijan to find work. In co-inhabited villages such as Tsopi, ethnic Armenians also say that young men instead have to pin their hopes on finding temporary work in Russia and Armenia to support their families back home. In short, not only could international donor money contribute to peacebuilding initiatives in the Caucasus by reducing costs and bringing participants from all three countries into closer proximity, but it would also benefit local communities made up of ethnic Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Georgians. In the interest of countering bias in the media, another idea pushed is to also use Tekali as the base for a regional newspaper and radio station which could broadcast to regions in all three countries.

 

Although new and social media is one way of doing the same, Internet use remains low, costly, and thus inaccessible to the masses.

 

 

 

Azeri Tea House, Khachagan, Georgia © Onnik Krikorian 2011

As a photographer as well as a journalist, however, one of the main benefits of such a project would be to add a human dimension to the conflict. Until now, press coverage of Armenia and Azerbaijan in both paints the picture of a militaristic enemy. What remains to be seen, however, is whether other organizations are willing to conduct projects in a more open environment and for much less than they have been budgeting for until now. International donors might also want to assess what has been achieved to date for considerable sums of money when even a fraction of that could arguably result in far more concrete outcomes than current peacebuilding and cross-border initiatives. True, a lot needs to be done in order to put the necessary infrastructure in place to make Tekali and Khachagan viable for such projects, but to do so would cost a lot less than the cost of holding short meetings in the closed environment of incredibly expensive hotels in Tbilisi or holiday resorts elsewhere.

It could also greatly contribute to regional development and the integration of Georgia's ethnic minorities. What it would need, though, is the support of all the local national, regional and international players working in these areas, including cross-border initiatives in general, and not least the creation of an environment conducive to cooperation rather than the unfortunate and sometimes cut-throat competition for financial resources.