Autumn 2000 (8.3)
Page 11

Reader's Forum
Similarities Among Caucasians?

We have so much in common in the Caucasus, but somehow we are not able to live in peace. Maybe we should start concentrating on similarities rather than differences, and stop insisting that originally the land belonged to a specific nation. Everything is so interrelated that no one can prove anything significant to be of a certain origin.

Why can't we be like Europeans? They say Europe is not a political system, it is a mentality. If so, then we, the Caucasians, qualify for such a union more than the Europeans do. We have always referred to each other as "Caucasians" and have had a lot in common. Even during the Soviet Union, non-Caucasians used to refer to us as one group, "the Caucasians". Russians still do.

Could you imagine the Caucasus as a free economic zone? People would benefit from it so much. We had always been known for our entrepreneurial skills, and if our governments created the necessary conditions, the people of the Caucasus would take care of the rest. I am very positive such a Caucasian Free Economic Zone would yield results sooner than any other on earth.

But, unfortunately, we cannot even establish a security pact. If we go even further and create a free zone, people will start working with each other. All of the countries will enjoy human talent, natural resources, access to the sea, and other benefits that the Caucasus can provide. The zone could help us respect each other, learn to live in peace, and think about prosperity, instead of constant fighting, territorial claims, and blockading.

Who is benefiting from the current situation? Only Russia and Iran. We need to understand that we are more similar than different. All of us: Azeris, Armenians, Georgians, Chechens, Abkhazes, and all other Caucasians. By supporting each other and working towards common goals, we can defeat our enemies, who have been benefiting from our instability and conflicts. We cannot defeat them, unless we are united. We cannot support each other, unless all of us strike in the same direction.

Maybe then we will gain respect. Maybe then we will be able to hold those who are guilty accountable for everything they have done in Karabakh, Abkhaziya, Chechnya, or anywhere else in the Caucasus, or maybe even all over the former USSR.
Good luck to those of us who look to the future.

Sanan Nasibli
Studying for MBA
Bloomsburg University
Bloomsburg, PA

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From Azerbaijan International (8.3) Autumn 2000.
© Azerbaijan International 2000. All rights reserved.

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