The second phase of EU-funded civil society programme, aimed at supporting the peace-building efforts around the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has been launched, according to a press release issued by the EU Delegation in Georgia.

The European Partnership for the Peaceful Settlement of the Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (EPNK) is a continuation of a programme launched in 2009 under the Instrument for Stability, promoting a dynamic dialogue between a broad range of policymakers, media and civil society from all sides of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

It also supports a wider participation of conflict-affected people in the peace process, including women, youth, internally displaced persons and refugees, the EU Neighborhood information center reports.

EPNK is a consortium of five European NGOs, which seeks to work with local partners in the South Caucasus on a wide range of peace-building projects to improve framework conditions conducive to positively impacting the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process.

The activities will run for three years and are arranged around three main themes: media, public policy and conflict-affected groups.

The European Union’s Instrument for Stability is a special financial instrument created to support the peaceful settlement of conflicts, de-escalation of tensions and post-conflict rehabilitation world-wide.