Azeris and Armenians under one roof - Georgia

Just wanted to look over the Azerbaijani Armenian relations. After having attended several projects with Azerbaijani and Armenian participation, I noticed that relation between them are sometimes tensed. Nevertheless, some of them manage to make friends and continue there friendship on other neutral territories like Georgia. The reason to this kind of negative attitude towards each other between representative of this two nations is Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the territory that took thousands of lives from both nations.

Since the beginning of 1988, there is a continuous conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed area of Nagorno Karabakh. The conflict has led to over twenty thousands casualties and almost one and a half million refugees. The Azeris claim that Karabagh has always been under Azeri rule in known history; by contrast the Armenians advance the claim that Karabagh was originally an Armenian site of residence and that Azeri rule was illegitimate.

The attitude of the upcoming generation towards one another is under the influence of governmental propaganda, which can be nothing but enemies! On one of the seminars my friend from Azerbaijan was giving a presentation where she spoke about Social Media and blogosphere in Azerbaijan, frankly talking about all of those problems that exist in her country. After the presentation, she was strongly criticized by other younger Azeri participants led by an older team leader who thought it was not right to speak about negative things in their country, especially in front the audience where Armenians were present. She was publicly humiliated and called to be pro-Armenian, stupid girl that should be ashamed of herself.

Meanwhile in Georgia ethnic Azeri and Armenian citizens have quite different relations, I myself being the only Azeri in Russian school in Georgia, studied in multinational class, with Georgians, Armenians, Russians, Ossetians etc., shared one desk with Armenian classmate. We used to play together, study together, even let rewrite the test answers from each other, always having fun together, and be friends in need. Staying close friends even after graduating. We never had any pressure from our parents against each other, and had equal rights and attitudes in society. School is one of thousands examples where Azeris and Armenians work and make friends, as we are living in one country, under one roof called Georgia.

In addition I can say, there is no good or bad nation, there are good or bad people, in every single nation!!!