The Hague to host three meetings on the South Caucasus this week

This week in the city of the Hague, the foundation LINKS Europe will host three important meetings related to the South Caucasus region.

The city will welcome participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and beyond, many of who are involved in the delicate process of building trust and confidence between people after years of warfare and animosity in the South Caucasus Region.

Twelve experts from Armenia and Azerbaijan who form the Joint Liaison Group on Confidence-building measures in support of lasting peace in the South Caucasus, known in short as JOLIG, will hold their second plenary meeting for this year are expected to discuss further steps that can be taken in the aftermath of their 2022 report "Thirty measures between now and 2030".

read more on the work of JOLIG here

One of those measures was a proposal to hold an annual youth peace summer school. JOLIG is now in the process of launching the first summer school which will be held in Kachreti, Georgia in  August, with the participation of thirty young participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Preparatory Committee of the Summer School will meet on Tuesday to agree the curriculum and the branding of the School, finalise the list of participants and discuss other organisational issues. The Preparatory Committee is made up of experts, academics and practitioners from across the region and Europe.

On Wednesday, LINKS Europe will host an important policy dialogue conference with the theme "The South Caucasus and the European Union – addressing challenges, seizing opportunities". Around thirty officials, experts, MPs and civil society activists from the three countries will join European counterparts for an intensive discussion on the future of EU-South Caucasus relations, being held at the historic Nuithuis building in The Hague. EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, and EU Special Representative for the Eastern Partnership, Dirk Scheubel are among those speaking at the event

A spokesperson for LINKS Europe said that the three meetings are,in their different ways, all symbolic and significant, and are being held at a critical juncture for the future of the South Caucasus region, and its relations with Europe.  LINKS Europe has a long history of engagement with the region, and has for many years been particularly active in promoting peace, dialogue and reconciliation. "We are looking forward to three days of intensive meetings, discussions and debates, and we hope the outcome of the meetings will contribute to the wider ongoing process for  peace and reconciliation in the region, and for stronger relations between the region and the rest of Europe", the spokesperson said.

source: commonspace.eu with LINKS Europe (The Hague)
photo: The Hague, the city of peace and justice.                                     

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Russia attacks Kyiv with 800 drones on Sunday morning

Russia attacks Kyiv with 800 drones on Sunday morning

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital on Sunday morning (7 September)  hitting the building of the Cabinet of Ministers. There are a number of civilian casualties Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenco has officially confirmed that the Cabinet building in Kyiv was damaged in the Russian attack early this morning - the first time the building has been hit. The BBC, citing the Ukrainian air force, said that a record number of drones and missiles were launched by Russia in the latest nightly attack. Ukraine's air force says Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles in its overnight attack. Of those, 751 were shot down, the air force says. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenco wrote on social media: "The enemy terrorizes our people across the country every day"  The BBC says it is very rare for Russian missiles and drones to hit right in the city centre like this, because of the concentration of air defence in the area. This time, it seems they were overwhelmed.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Russia attacks Kyiv with 800 drones on Sunday morning

Russia attacks Kyiv with 800 drones on Sunday morning

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital on Sunday morning (7 September)  hitting the building of the Cabinet of Ministers. There are a number of civilian casualties Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenco has officially confirmed that the Cabinet building in Kyiv was damaged in the Russian attack early this morning - the first time the building has been hit. The BBC, citing the Ukrainian air force, said that a record number of drones and missiles were launched by Russia in the latest nightly attack. Ukraine's air force says Russia launched 805 drones and 13 missiles in its overnight attack. Of those, 751 were shot down, the air force says. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenco wrote on social media: "The enemy terrorizes our people across the country every day"  The BBC says it is very rare for Russian missiles and drones to hit right in the city centre like this, because of the concentration of air defence in the area. This time, it seems they were overwhelmed.