In a recently released discussion paper “Preparing populations for peace: Implications for Armenian-Azerbaijani peacebuilding,” the European Union-funded British charity Conciliation Resources (CR) presented a number of suggestions for ways to reinvigorate the peace process.

Following a series of positive messages issued by Armenian and Azerbaijani officials earlier this year, in May 2019 CR “convened a meeting of the Karabakh Contact Group (KCG) to discuss the implications of ‘preparing populations for peace’ for peacebuilding across the conflict today. This meeting brought together civil society activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorny Karabakh, and international experts.”

“The KCG discussions identified five areas for peacebuilding interventions that could supply content to the ‘preparing populations for peace’ framework, beyond the confidence-building measures aimed at strengthening the ceasefire currently under discussion in the OSCE Minsk Group.” The suggestions aim primarily at reducing the hostile rhetoric around the conflict and include strategic communications for peace, policy dialogue, policy coherence/capacity, strategic inclusion and public education/conflict literacy.

Last year, another EU-funded paper on Karabakh issued by the International Alert considered grassroots views of the conflict.