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ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN EXPERT POLITICAL DIALOGUE PLATFORM STATEMENT – 3 April 2025 The first meeting of the new Armenia-Azerbaijan Political Dialogue Platform was held in The Hague, The Netherlands on 2–3 April on the margins of the Conference organised by LINKS Europe entitled “The South Caucasus: Again in Transition”. The meeting was attended by the following members of the platform: Stepan Grigoryan (Armenia), Johnny Melikyan (Armenia), Benyamin Poghosyan (Armenia); Ahmad Alili (Azerbaijan); Mehman Aliyev (Azerbaijan) and Ramazan Samadov (Azerbaijan). LINKS Europe is facilitating and chairing the Platform. The members of the platform noted with pleasure that Armenia and Azerbaijan had in the last eighteen months, in direct negotiations, discussed and reached agreements on a number of issues, including on issues related to border delimitation and the text of a peace agreement between them. The members of the Platform welcomed these developments and stated their readiness to work together to strengthen and build on these achievements. The members of the platform stated that they remain vigilant to the risk of a deterioration of the situation and will do their utmost to prevent any such deterioration. The members of the platform welcomed the focus on the European Union and Turkey, as key external partners of the region, in the conference “The South Caucasus, again in transition”. On the European Union, the members of the platform noted recent developments and efforts by the EU to play an increased positive role as a global player. The members of the platform welcomed the continued interest and engagement of the EU with the South Caucasus. The members of the Platform called on the EU to develop a unified and clear strategy on the South Caucasus and called for discussions on this strategy to start. The members of the platform discussed a number of practical steps that they will take in the future, including in the development of Armenia-Azerbaijan media contacts. The members of the Platform called for a dialogue between the three countries of the South Caucasus and Turkey. They expressed their readiness to work in this direction through work and contact with Turkish Partners. The members of the platform thanked LINKS Europe for its work. They noted that the LINKS Europe segment of the EU4Peace III initiative includes new and innovative work that aims to involve a new generation in the process of regional peace. The members of the platform stand ready to support LINKS Europe in its endeavours.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of military operations in Hamas-run Gaza, saying the army would seize "large areas" of the Palestinian territory. Katz said Israel would bolster its presence in the Gaza Strip to "destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure". The operation would "seize large areas that will be incorporated into Israeli security zones", he said in a statement, without specifying how much territory.

The Georgian Parliament has passed the final reading of a new "foreign agents" law that targets both organisations and individuals who receive foreign funding and fail to register with the Justice Ministry.  The bill had drawn sharp criticism from Georgian opposition parties as well as U.S. and EU officials, who believe this bill will be used as a tool to suppress civil society and independent media.

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the bipartisan Megobari Act, which supports the aspirations of the people of Georgia for integration into Euro-Atlantic structures and imposes sanctions on officials of the governing party Georgian Dream and its allies undermining this path. Following this approval, the bill has been sent to other committees in the US Senate for review.

US President Donald Trump lashed out at the leaders of both warring parties in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, expressing frustration as efforts to kick-start ceasefire talks remain deadlocked. Trump is trying to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and its Russian invader, and has been pushing Zelensky to sign an agreement to give US firms exclusive access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals.

Accession to the EU is incompatible with Armenia’s continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-led trade bloc that gives it tariff-free access to Russia’s vast market, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Overchuk. Armenia would also have to pay much more for Russian energy resources and food, Overchuk said. Last week, the Armenian Parliament adopted a bill calling for the government to seek accession to the EU, representing a significant shift in Armenia’s foreign policy perspective away from its long-time ally Russia.

The civil war in Yemen has been going on for ten years, and the world has pretended not to notice. It is only when the conflict spills over to neighbouring countries and regions that we see a flurry of activity, usually of the wrong kind. This was the case when targets in UAE and Saudi Arabia came under attack, or more recently when shipping in the Red Sea was targeted by Yemen’s current ruling group, the Houthis.

On 27 March 2025, the Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Deputy Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas held their 20th European Union-Central Asia Ministerial meeting in Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. The ministers discussed the preparations for the organisation of the first EU-Central Asia Summit on 4 April 2025 in Samarkand in Uzbekistan, which will demonstrate their commitment to deepening ties with the EU, at the highest level, materialising closer strategic cooperation, and marking an important step in the intensification of EU-Central Asia relations.

Bottled water, energy bars, a flashlight and more: the European Union is pushing for every household in the 27-country bloc to have a three-day survival kit ready in case a crisis strikes - be it a war or natural disaster. EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib told AFP that the idea would be formally presented as part of a broader "preparedness strategy" for the European Union