Black Sea and Central Asia Project News

Experts discuss conflicts in the Black Sea region

Over 30 experts from the Black Sea region met in Istanbul on December 9 - 11.2011 to share insights on conflicts in the region. During the Black Sea Peace Network’s (BSPN) annual meeting experts reflected on recent project updates and project implementation.

The participants and experts from seven BSPN countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine gave thematic presentations on topics such as the Kurdish question, North and South Caucasus conflicts, Transnistria, European initiatives on the Karabakh conflict and the impact of the global financial crisis on the region. The presentations were divided into two larger categories:  “The Black Sea region: Possibilities for Conflicts Transformations” and “Regional Cooperation in Black Sea Region.”

The meeting was organized by CMI and co-hosted by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly of Turkey (HCA).

Moldova-Transdniestria Project - Cyprus Study Tour

The new Moldova-Transdniestria project of CMI held its first major event from 31 October till 5 November 2011.  A group of high-level experts focused on the peace process in Moldova-Transdniestria were brought to Cyprus for an intensive study tour of the Cypriot experience with confidence building measures, socioeconomic cooperation and civil society peacebuilding initiatives, as well as a specific focus on the EU’s rules of engagement for the unrecognized Northern part of Cyprus.  The experts included former and current members of the official teams involved in the political negotiations in Moldova-Transdniestria, as well as senior civil society experts.  Due to the regional nature of the conflict, participants were brought from not only Chisinau and Tiraspol as the central cities for the two sides of the conflict, but also from Brussels, Berlin, Kyiv and Moscow.  During the study tour the experts met with former President of the Republic of Cyprus George Vasiliou, former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, current Special Representatives from both sides involved in the UN-facilitated negotiations process, as well as civil society experts, town mayors, chambers of commerce and officials from both the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities and the EU and UN institutions present on the island.  CMI will now produce a short comparative analysis of the CBMs processes in Cyprus and Moldova-Transdniestria.

Assessment mission to Moldova-Transdniestria

CMI has completed an assessment mission to Moldova-Transdniestria, which took place from 27 February till 5 March. Members of CMI’s Black Sea and Central Asia Programme visited Chisinau and Tiraspol in order to consider the expansion of the programme’s work to the Transdniestrian conflict. They shared information about the organization and its activities with local stakeholders, including civil society leaders, MPs and officials, as well as all participants of the “5+2” format. The CMI team consulted with the stakeholders about the Transdniestrian conflict situation and the possible roles that could be played by CMI, such as supporting a more effective input from civil society and experts to the peace process.

Regional meeting of the Black Sea Peacebuilding Network in Kiev, Ukraine

The regional meeting of the Black Sea Peacebuilding Network took place on 8-10 December in Kiev, Ukraine. The meeting brought together representatives of the peacebuilding expert councils from seven countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The participants discussed thematic topics (Black Sea countries: actors and power analysis and peace potential in the Black Sea region) as well as project implementation in 2010 and plans for the future. The Kiev meeting was the second annual regional meeting of the Black Sea Peacebuilding Network; the first meeting took place in Tbilisi, Georgia in December 2009.