South Caucasus

LINKS Europe has successfully completed the first phase of its project to develop the Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue as part of its commitment within the EU4Peace III programme, funded by the European Union. In this first phase, which lasted from September 2024 to April 2025, LINKS Europe conducted an assessment of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and mobilised the personnel necessary for delivering the project output. LINKS Europe Foundation is pleased to announce the names of the chairs/co-chairs of the five thematic groups within the initiative.  

A brawl broke out in Armenia’s National Assembly on 22 April after opposition lawmakers proposed new legislation to impose harsher penalties on those who deny or question the 1915 mass killing and deportation of up to 1.5 million Armenians by the then Ottoman Empire — and whether it should be recognised as genocide. The term, coined in the 1940s by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, was partly inspired by the Armenian experience. Armenia already has laws addressing genocide denial, but this new initiative specifically targets anyone and not just those seeking to incite “hatred, discrimination, or violence.” Punishment of up to five years imprisonment would also be increased though the proposed changes are unlikely to pass a parliamentary vote.