YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–Because NGO’s of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot fully implement their programs due to the lack of the international recognition of the Republic–such organizations have established the understanding of cooperating with their Armenian counterparts in order to be able to serve the people of Nagorno-Karabakh better.
The first step to achieve such cooperation was the workshop "Three Years of Peace: Reality and Prospects" held in Karabakh last week.
The workshop was attended by representatives of Armenia’s Sociological Association–Christian Association of Young People of Armenia–the Young Democrats Organization–All-Armenia Women’s Union–Committees of Helsinki Citizen Assembly of Armenia and Karabakh and the Maternity Committee of Karabakh–among others.
"Non-governmental organizations do not have any relation to politics–and their activities should be viewed as humanitarian aid to the society. When international organizations render humanitarian aid–they do not divide people into those living in recognized or unrecognized states–but assist all the needy. This principle does not yet work in relation to NGO’s–and among our tasks is to bring NGO’s of Karabakh to the international level," Director of the Institute of Philosophy and Human Rights Gevorg Poghossian said.
He noted that NGO’s of Armenia and Karabakh have the same tasks: to build a civil society–establish democratic institutes–participate in joint projects and work out new ones.
Gevorg Poghossian noted that the workshop had a direct practical result–that is the sides agreed to launch joint activity of Karabakh and Armenian NGO’s in certain areas.
Natalya Martirossian–coordinator of the Committee of Helsinki Citizen Assembly of Armenia and coordinator of the Armenian Women’s Union–characterized the Stepanakert meeting as a new stage in development of Karabakh and Armenian NGO’s. According to her–the main result of the workshop is the establishment of horizontal relations between NGO’s of the two republics–and a decision on joint participation in definite programs.
The NGO’s of Armenia and Karabakh reached a preliminary agreement on joint participation in organization of summer camps for children–establishment of a summer youth camp in Dadivank (Karabakh) and projects to help in sanitation of the zone.
The workshop was organized by the Karabakh Committee "Helsinki Initiative-92" through the assistance of the Nagorno-Karabakh Government.
