Azerbaijan’s military action against settlements on Armenia’s sovereign territory violates international law and cannot be justified by any of Azerbaijan’s declared statements on provocations, the mining of Azerbaijani’s territory, or ongoing frustrations at the pace of implementation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement. We appeal for an immediate cessation of military action for the protection of civilians and a return to ongoing dialogue formats.
PCi’s peacebuilders and our partners have long-standing relations with civic and political actors in both Armenia and Azerbaijan and have a profound respect for those who have been committed to a peaceful transformation around the parameters of the conflict between the two countries. We have deep empathy with the people of Azerbaijan who experienced considerable suffering and acknowledge outstanding grievances from previous wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are convinced, however, that a military or force-based resolution to the present situation can only cause harm to the neighbourly relations without which a lasting peace is impossible.
We call on civil society and independent actors in both Armenia and Azerbaijan to act in line with principles that look ahead to peaceful relations between the two countries by withholding from rhetoric that supports or justifies military action, by not posting information that has not been verified, and by using ties that have been built over years of working for peace to in the region to verify facts, understand perspectives, and provide moral support to one another.
PCi endorses statement of Ukrainian mediation and dialogue practitioners on the application of dialogue during Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Thirteen Ukrainian organisations with experience and expertise in the areas of mediation and dialogue have issued a joint statement to bring the attention of international donors and programming organisations to key aspects of the present context for the application of dialogue and peacebuilding approaches. The statement has been supported by a further 14 dialogue and mediation organisations.
The organisations preparing the statement express their appreciation of the unprecedented support directed towards Ukraine and propose seven points to be taken into consideration with respect to developing appropriate peacebuilding and dialogue approaches in the country at this time:
The armed aggression in Russia must be understood in its full context, including as a violation of the very cornerstones of the post-World War II world order.
Political-level (Track One) negotiations between the warring parties should continue on peace and humanitarian issues and formats may be considered for the involvement of civil society in such processes.
Dialogue between citizens of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus during active hostilities is not appropriate to the current phase of the conflict, no matter the location of the talks, and does not reflect ‘do-no-harm’ principles.
Dialogue and dialogue approaches can and should be used as a tool to strengthen resilience, social cohesion and unity within Ukrainian society, and these should be supported even during the hot phase of the conflict. Similarly dialogue between the civil society of Ukraine and international counterparts should be encouraged.
Support is needed to citizens of Russia and Belarus who are opposing their own authoritarian regimes and the aggression in Ukraine.
It is essential that peace and dialogue methodologies introduced into Ukraine be adapted to take into account the specificities of Ukraine and are respectful of the approaches and tools that Ukrainians have prepared for their own practice since 2014.
Ukrainian mediation and dialogue experts have highly developed capacities and are currently ready to (i) invest their efforts into development of the conditions under which it will be possible to convene dialogue at the civil society level; (ii) study and adapt available conceptual approaches and formats of dialogues; and (iii) initiate the development of methodologies and approaches to the design of prospective dialogue processes.
PCi endorses in full the points presented by Ukraine’s mediation and dialogue community and encourages all international peace actors looking to make a contribution in Ukraine at this time to acquaint themselves with the full statement and the reasoning behind the principle points, which are well laid out. Furthermore, PCi encourages peace actors in Ukraine to contribute to the dissemination of the statement which is available in both English and Ukrainian.
PCi hereby presents in full a joint statement issued by civil society organisations and activists from Serbia and Kosovo condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Joint statement by the CSOs from Kosovo and Serbia on the potential consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the Western Balkans.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has negatively impacted the international rules-based order. The Western Balkans is especially vulnerable to global developments which put at risk international law, democracy, and human rights.
We, the representatives of civil society organizations from Kosovo and Serbia, condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and call upon our governments to align with the European Union’s stance.
Furthermore, we urge the EU and its member states to change the paradigm of enlargement to ensure a practical and proactive approach to the European perspective of the Western Balkans. We also call on the wider international community to support our region in order to secure sustainable peace and security.
The consequences of such breaches of international law could be extremely destabilising for our post conflict region. In view of Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine, this is a defining moment in history; one that calls for a prompt response from our governments and the international community to uphold respect for the rule of law, international law, solidarity, and human rights in the Western Balkans.
The current situation reiterates the importance of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia for securing sustainable peace, prosperity, and the well-being of all citizens. It offers an opportunity to reflect upon and re-design the dialogue process beyond the notion of constructive ambiguity towards an inclusive process that would lead to a legally binding and long-lasting agreement. Urgent action is needed from the EU to push for and support substantial reforms – particularly where the rule of law is concerned – in order to accelerate the EU integration of the Western Balkans.
Civil society in Kosovo and Serbia has actively engaged in peacebuilding processes over the years, representing community voices and the daily concerns of citizens which are largely overshadowed by mainstream politics. During this time of crisis, we ask the international community to support us in condemning divisive rhetoric, authoritarian politics, and populist and nationalist discourses which serve to silence critical voices and generate fear and distrust among communities.
Aiming to reduce the spread of disinformation that may lead to possible escalation of conflict, we also call upon media representatives to fully commit to impartial and unbiased reporting.
Signatories:
Aktiv
Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC), Mitrovica
Balkans Policy Research Group (BPRG)
Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCBP)
Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Balkans (CisBalk)
Center for Peace and Tolerance (CPT), Gracanica
Centre for Regionalism
Civic Initiatives
Democracy Plus (D+)
Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society (BFPE)
Igor Novaković, Analyst, Belgrade
Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER)
Institute for European Affairs (IEA)
Institute for Serbian and Albanian Coexistence
Jelena Lončar, Academic, University of Belgrade
Kosovo Center for Security Studi (KCSS)
Kosovo Law Institute (KLI)
Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM)
Milan Antonijević, Lawyer
New Social initiative (NSI), Mitrovica
Peer Educators Network (PEN), Prishtinë
Rahim Salihi, civil society activist, Bujanovac.
Radio KIM Media Group
The Balkan Forum
Valon Arifi, civil society activist
Vjollca Krasniqi, Academic, University of Pristina
We abhor the violation of peace and territorial integrity in Ukraine and the senseless destruction and loss of life brought by the unjustified military action being perpetrated by the Government of the Russian Federation. We appeal for an immediate cessation of attacks on Ukraine and for the protection of civilians. We are gravely concerned that the war will lead to long-term intractable conflict with great human and environmental costs and express our solidarity with peacebuilders and civil society actors across all parts of Ukraine who are working bravely to maintain the social fabric of their communities and upholding principles of shared humanity.
Since 2016 we have witnessed first-hand the courageous work of peacebuilders who have made heroic attempts to transcend the divides created since 2014 and their patient commitment to peace. The present military action works directly against the declared intent of the Russian leadership to establish brotherly relations with its neighbour and develop a vision for indivisible security in Europe.
The present military action is not only outside of international law, but we firmly believe that it is fundamentally against the interests of the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the United National Security Council with a particular responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and a prime stakeholder and beneficiary of the present system of international security.
We empathise with the calls of our friends and partners inside Ukraine for international assistance and coordinated action to end the violence and aid the people of Ukraine and urge international friends and allies to provide all diplomatic and humanitarian assistance.
