Sluta bomba för i h-vete!

To:
The president of the National Youth Council of Russia (NYCR)
The president of the National Council of Youth Organisations in Georgia (NYCOG)

Dear friends,

With this letter we would like to, first and foremost, express our deep concern about the violently escalating conflict in Southern Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia. Our thoughts go to the victims of the violence regardless of origin or loyalty.

LSU believes the only way forward start with a complete cease fire avoiding further suffering and making way for a return to dialogue between the countries.

We understand that the breakout of violence has consequences for both your organisations as forming part of the respective countries civil society. Most profoundly the violence within Georgia affects the daily life of the NCYOG and we are indeed concerned about the security of our Georgian friends in this serious situation.

The NYCR and the NCYOG has previously in a commendable way been pursuing an approach of peace and reconciliation in relation to the conflicts in question. You have shown a strong and progressive leadership in finding common interest in a constructive dialogue between youths in Georgia and Russia respectively.

Although we do recognise that the situation today is far more serious and acute than earlier we would indeed regard it as courageous and forward-thinking would you be able to uphold a constructive dialogue between the NYC’s despite the violent conflict between your countries. We urge you to continue to use Eastern European Youth Cooperation (EEYC) as a platform for regional cooperation also between your countries. By doing that you would show what kind of leadership young civil society can display even during the most difficult conditions. And such a leadership would stand as an example to others.

We hope for a fast halt to continued suffering of all persons victimized by this violent conflict.

Our thoughts are with them who suffer and with your organisations in this difficult time.

Let us keep in touch.
Yours sincerely,

Richard Bengtsson, Secretary General LSU

--- LSU samarbetar inom området ledarskaps- och organisationsutveckling och ungdomspolitik med ett nätverk av landsråd för ungdomsorganisationer i Östeuropa. Nätverket är unikt eftersom det skapats av unga organiserade i länder varav flera på ett eller annat sätt ligger i konflikt med varandra: Armenien, Azerbadzjan, Ukraina, Vitryssland, Moldavien, Ryssland och Georgien. Tillsammans med nätverket har vi i Europa drivit på i frågor viktiga för ungas organisering och möjlighet till inflytande.