Chairman, Topchubashov Center; Rethink.CEE Fellow at German Marshall Fund of the United States
📚 A GCSP paper some Armenian and Azerbaijani experts, including myself, have been working on for several months is finally out. While acknowledging the ecological unity of South Caucasus, these experts emphasize the absence of structured and coordinated disaster response mechanisms, which can increase vulnerability and hamper effective crisis management, leading to avoidable loss of life, widespread suffering, and significant economic damage. While certain environmental challenges and natural disasters can span across the borders, they would definitely need more neighborly and regional efforts. The authors describe the current situation as Armenia and Azerbaijan run their separate bodies and do not conduct communication channels and may also face different problems (distrust, bureaucratic bottlenecks, language barriers). By referring to the international cases of cooperation during collective emergencies, such as earthquake diplomacy (Armenia-Türkiye, India-Pakistan) and the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the authors encourage the creation of the bilateral or regional (South Caucasus) mechanisms, including a joint information centre, common test protocols, cross-border teamwork, joint training and exercises (for relevant agencies such as rescue teams). I thank my co-authors Anar Ahmadov, Vasif Huseynov, Tatul Manaseryan, Arman Martirosyan, Niko Orell, who put their best knowledge and efforts for preparing the paper, and Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) who facilitated and published the end product. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e2gYNp5X