LINKS director visits Nagorny Karabakh

Representatives of British and American non-government organizations (NGOs) that worked out a joint project to promote the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and to create the atmosphere of trust in the region made a three-day visit to the Republic of Nagorny Karabakh. The project is financed by the British government and a number of international foundations.

During the visit, representatives of the London Information Network on Conflicts and State-Building (LINKS) and other organizations - Amnesty International and Catholic Relief Services - met with the President of Nagorny Karabakh, Speaker of the National Assembly, Interior Minister, industrialists, representatives of NGOs and international organizations accredited in the Republic of Nagorny Karabakh, and media workers. Members of the delegation also visited Shushi where they met refugees from Azerbaijan. According to LINKS director Stephen Nash, the elaborated project upholds traditions of the Minsk Group in four fields - political, in particular, parliamentarian cooperation, assistance to the non-government sector, international coverage of the conflict and working-out of reasonable methods of settlement, and work with the mass media. Journalists were told the project was designed for 3 years. LINKS representatives preferred not to speak of concrete programs yet and contented themselves with the statement that there were ideas concerning media and NGOs.