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Monday, September 21, 2009
Eurasian Peace Appeal Issued on the Day of Peace 2009
In connection with the International Day of Peace 2009, observed by the United Nations on September 21, the Eurasian Peace Council of the Universal Peace Federation supports a global call for ceasefire and non-violence by the UN Secretary-General, under the slogan “We Must Disarm.”
This call is even more relevant for the region of Eurasia, which is abundant with crisis and conflict situations, especially in the former Soviet Union. Open and ‘frozen’ conflicts in Eurasia cannot be resolved by force but only through dialogue and compromise, on the basis of the principle of territorial integrity of states, with due respect for the right of nations for self-determination.
In this regard, we the Eurasian Peace Council concludes that the founding goals of the Commonwealth of independent States (CIS) have not been reached, which resulted in new conflicts and escalation of old conflicts. Undue respect to the ‘human dimension’ of relations between the CIS Member States and the de-facto absence of the CIS ‘common humanitarian space’ have also resulted in political and economic instability in the post-Soviet territory.
By addressing the root causes of conflict, embedded in people’s heart, the Eurasian Peace Council, being supported by the UPF, hopes to build peace, harmony, and cooperation among people of different cultures and religions, based on core human values and universal moral principles. This is the way to reconciliation, accord, and effective peacemaking.
We are deeply concerned about the situation in the conflict zones of the South Caucasus, which remains tense and still threatens international peace and security. The Eurasian Peace Council calls upon the sides of the conflict involving Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Russia to comply, in due course, with the commitments outlined earlier in the “Dmitry Medvedev – Nicolas Sarkozy peace plan” and agreed with the leadership of Georgia. We also call upon the sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to adhere to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, based on the Madrid principles.
The Eurasian Peace Council is ready to contribute to the resolution of the Transnistria conflict. As in the South Caucasus, we should pay special attention to human development and human security challenges. We call upon the sides in the conflict to discuss the issues of sovereignty, borders, and territorial integrity in a broader humanitarian context.
We call upon government and non-government organizations and international institutions to collaborate in setting the minimal human security standards to be applied in the conflict zones, in accordance with the UN human rights standards and international humanitarian law. We also call for a concerted international effort aimed at providing humanitarian relief and technical assistance to those in need, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and other civilian populations.
The Eurasian Peace Council herein announces the launch of the Baltic Dialogue. This new peace initiative is aimed at establishing a new channel of communication between the populaces of the Baltic nations and Russia on the basis of shared European values for the purpose of promoting better relations between the Russian-speaking and the native populations of the Baltic states and also to support the process of integrating the peoples of Russia and the Baltics with Europe.
The Eurasian Peace Council calls all those striving for peace in the region to a mutual understanding and cooperation and seeks a collaborative approach to peace involving governmental and non-governmental organizations, various faith-based organizations, and the private sector, aimed at resolving crises and conflict situations in Eurasia.
Moscow, Russia
September 21, 2009
For more information about UPF-Eurasia's Baltic Dialogue Initiative, click here.
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