Over 25 Years, We Have a ‘Creeping’ War: Anna Hakobyan

During the UN Security Council's Women, Peace, and Security conference, Anna Hakobyan, the wife of the Prime Minister, addressed her initiated campaign "Women for Peace":
“When I started the 'Women for Peace' campaign, I had no idea about UN Security Council Resolution N 1325, and I even thought I was very original in my belief that women should be involved,” she stated.

According to Anna Hakobyan, it turns out that people around the world have long realized that armed conflicts can achieve peaceful resolutions more quickly and effectively when women are more involved in various platforms. “During the April War in 2016, I closely followed the military operations, the news coming from both sides, the casualties, and many horrific events. I experienced it as a woman and as a mother, immediately after the changes. Since there is also the danger that one of the opposing sides can always start a war and think that broad-scale military operations can bring a faster resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, I decided to take action so that I would have peace of mind knowing I did something to prevent it,” she noted.

Anna Hakobyan emphasizes urging all sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as a woman and a mother, to never resort to military solutions and to seek peaceful pathways to resolve the conflict: “It has been 25 years since the ceasefire, and during these 25 years, we have a negotiation process that has gone through various phases, but the cart has not moved from its place. We are at the same point as we were at the time of the ceasefire. During these 25 years, we have a 'creeping' war, and every year, every month, every week, we have casualties from both sides, and these casualties do not bring us even one centimeter closer to resolving the conflict.”

She stresses that women's voices will carry significant weight in stopping this practice and ultimately sitting at the negotiating table to find a solution.