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The Karabakh Conflict Archive is a non-governmental initiative to create a collection of materials reflecting the history of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. The project is being implemented by civil society organisations interested in collecting a range of sources that help preserve the memory of how the Nagorny Karabakh conflict evolved and what people lived through. The project responds to a perceived need for more inclusive archival source material that documents the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, and that represents a range of experiences that span conflict divides. The project evolved as a result of four cross-conflict workshops focused on dealing with the past in the Nagorny Karabakh conflict context, between November 2016 and January 2019. It is supported within the framework of the European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (EPNK), a European Union initiative.
The main objective of the Karabakh Conflict Archive is to secure material in order to strengthen an informed and meaningful historical dialogue between the conflicting parties and within their societies. The priority of this initiative is to create and preserve digital copies of unique materials from the Nagorny Karabakh conflict context that are in danger of being damaged or lost, in order to provide access to diverse and more inclusive sources of information. These materials can later be used for a variety of purposes, including outreach, education, and to enable discussion and dialogue between different groups.
The first phase of archival collation will prioritise the years 1988-1990, with a specific focus on political unrest and the beginning of violent clashes, and on the personal archives of families of missing persons. The archive will include documents, photographs and audio-visual material.
The archive is managed by a Steering Committee, members of which represent the following organisations: Conciliation Resources, Internews Azerbaijan Public Association, Media Initiatives Center, Peace Dialogue, Humanitarian Research Public Union, Stepanakert Press Club and swisspeace.
Image credit: Siegfried Wöber
February 2019