Editorial: Dialogue and Public Diplomacy are now more important than ever.

The case of the release of Ramil Safarov, after he was returned to Azerbaijani jurisdiction on Friday to continue serving his life sentence for the murder of an Armenian counterpart in Budapest in 2004, has not surprisingly given rise to many emotions. 

As often happens in these highly charged circumstances emotions easily turn into hysterical reactions and we have seen an element of this over the last few days in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. The case certainly requires consideration at all levels of society in both countries and in the international community but calm reflection and reaction make for better judgement all round.

Regrettably some civil society actors on both sides have given in to the temptation to join in the outpour of unhelpful rhetoric that has dominated the news in both countries in recent days. Already we hear that several initiatives aimed at promoting dialogue have been cancelled or postponed. Social media sites are full of jingoistic statements, including some by civil society actors who should have known better. This is regrettable.

It is in a moment like this that civil society can show that it has the potential to contribute something different. The more difficult the situation becomes the more necessary the work of civil society to build trust that can help to the resolution of the conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis becomes.

The murder that Safarov committed in 2004 did not contribute to this trust, and nor did the way in which he was released. However the fact that Safarov killed one person in his sleep does not mean he should be the reason for killing public diplomacy even when it is awake.

This comment was prepared by the editorial team of commonspace.eu

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Armenian leader meets Putin in the Kremlin

Armenian leader meets Putin in the Kremlin

Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, met at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Wednesday 1, April, with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The current state and prospects of Russian-Armenian strategic partnership and alliance, integration cooperation in the Eurasian region, and current issues on the regional agenda, in particular the development of economic and transport-logistics ties in the South Caucasus, were discussed, according to the Kremlin website. In his remarks before the meeting, Prime Minister Pashinyan said our relations with the Russian Federation are very deep, they are very important to us, and, in my opinion, they are developing dynamically in the context of the new realities in our region, when peace has finally been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And I think this has a positive impact on our relations with the Russian Federation, because for the first time since our independence, we have a railway connection with the Russian Federation. We import goods from Russia via Azerbaijan by rail. I hope we will also export in the near future. This, of course, strengthens our traditional economic ties, and it strengthens our ties within the Eurasian Economic Union. Regarding the European Union, of course, we know that, in principle, membership in the two associations is incompatible. But what we're doing and the agenda we have, at least for now, are compatible. That's a fact. And as long as there's an opportunity to combine these agendas, we will. And when processes develop to the point where a decision must be made, I'm confident that we, the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, will make that decision. Of course, in this context, our relations with the Russian Federation have never been and never will be in question, because, as I have already said, these ties and relations are very deep and not subject to discussion. (read the report in full by clicking the image at the top).

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)