Armenia-Azerbaijan: Mutual Concerns from Young Bloggers

With most of the blogs created as part of an online project to “create socially conscious media that will impact communities across the U.S. and the Caucasus” now up and running, many of the participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and the U.S. have already completed their first module. DOTCOM, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is implemented by Project Harmony.

Now ready to introduce themselves on their new blogs, the teenagers aged between 14-16 were asked to highlight an issue of concern in their own communities. Interestingly, while other problems were mentioned, the environment topped the list. Writing from Azerbaijan, for example, 14-year-old Shafaq is worried by the level of pollution in the waters off her native Baku.

As we know Azerbaijan is known for it’s oil in all over the world. But we damage our enviroment when we drag out it. Caspian sea becomes dirty and it destroy the life in this sea. They all can die out and I want to stop it.

14-year-old Ergun is also concerned.

Pollution is the main problem. People throw litter and pollute the environment. People cut trees and build high buildings.There was a park in front of our building. Some people came and destroyed everything and built a building there.

But while the teenagers in both countries share the same concerns and interests, politics and war still divides them. With the conflict between the two countries over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh now older than she is, 14-year-old Lilit thinks about peace.

Armenia is a country which nowadays has many problems which are unsolved. There are minor problems as dirty streets, unpleasant underground shops and so on. But there are also some problems which I am really concerned about in my country such as unsolved relations with neighbor countries. Since my childhood I have been wondering why isn’t it possible to go to Azerbaijan, to make friends there and invite them to our country. That is really a huge problem right now and I truly hope that all these minor and huge issues which my country is facing now will be solved in nearest future.

On the other side of a closed border and sometimes fragile ceasefire line, Nara, a 15-year-old resident of Baku, also considers the war.

Nowadays the main problem for Azerbaijan is Karabakh’s war problem. We have a lot of refugees from there. I do like them to be able to return home in the nearest future.

The full post where comments can be left is available on Global Voices Online.