Resolution of international conflicts through non-diplomatic channels: Turkey-Armenia case

The relocation policy of the Ottoman government in 1915 towards the Armenian population has been at the center of an ongoing conflict between Armenians and Turks for more than a century. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the involvement of Armenian diaspora in the conflict have made the problem even more complicated. A sustainable conflict resolution perspective to improve Turkey-Armenia relationship could not be developed through diplomatic channels up to the present. Therefore, alternative channels and activities have been flourishing for a decade. In this study, civil society-based Track Two efforts for the resolution of Armenian-Turkish conflict resolution were examined and their effectiveness was discussed. For this purpose, the limits of diplomatic methods have been examined within a theoretical and historical framework in the first place. Then, the activities of major non-governmental organizations working in this field were introduced and evaluated in the light of six hypotheses suggested. Information was gathered through interviews with the representatives of some of these NGOs. It is concluded that Track Two Diplomacy methods can be effective in solving the Armenian-Turkish conflict. Focusing on some special groups such as young people, journalists and artists, receiving the help of specialists and academicians, the synergy that can be generated by the cooperation of similar institutions, seem to have positive effects on the reduction of mutual prejudices among the two peoples. However, it has also been observed that the works carried out were not enough to reach the public agenda of both communities and were insufficient to influence politicians. Keywords: Conflict Resolution, Armenia-Turkey Relations, Track Two Diplomacy, Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)