Region

South Caucasus

The South Caucasus – a region encompassing Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - is one of strategic importance, not only for adjacent countries, such as Turkiye, Russia, Iran and the Central Asian states, but also for neighbours such as the European Union and the GCC states, and globally for the United States, India, China, Pakistan and Japan.

commonspace.eu team brings decades of experience of working in the South Caucasus and we are pleased to share our insights with our loyal readers through the website, and the sister newsletter, Caucasus Concise.

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Event
LFSC25: Yerevan meeting focuses on issues of landmines and remnants of war in Armenia and the South Caucasus
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LFSC25: Yerevan meeting focuses on issues of landmines and remnants of war in Armenia and the South Caucasus

25 November 2025
The meeting titled “The residue of conflict: Landmines and other remnants of war in the South Caucasus, and its victims” was held in Yerevan, Armenia, on Monday, 24 November 2025, in the framework of the 2025 regional campaign "Landmine Free South Caucasus" (LFSC25). Addressing the meeting, Mr Stepan Grigoryan, Chairman of the Armenian Analytical Center on Globalisation and Regional Cooperation, emphasized that the problem of landmines is mutual, and it exists in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. He argued that it is important in the peace process to address the humanitarian issues caused by landmines. In addition, he also stressed that it is important for experts to have conversations on the topic of demining, as often it is experts who begin the process that can then be taken further by governments. Stepan Grigoryan said he was happy to be collaborating with LINKS Europe on this important issue, and was glad to associate himself with the LFSC 25 appeal. Anahit Poghosyan, Adviser to the Secretary of the RA Security Council also spoke at the event. Ms Anahit Poghosyan said that the problem of landmines exists in Armenia, and that already around 800 people have been injured or killed due to landmine contamination. The border regions are highly affected, and around 200000 people live in proximity of contaminated areas. She stressed that landmine contamination is an important issue to solve. In addition, she added that Armenia remains committed to humanitarian principles and that experts have been involved in checking the contamination maps to ensure reliability. She ended on an important note that landmines undermine peace and development and pose a grave humanitarian situation in the region. (read more by clicking the image)

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Editor's choice
News
EU Special Representative welcomes continued efforts of Armenian and Azerbaijani practitioners towards a peaceful and prosperous future for the South Caucasus
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EU Special Representative welcomes continued efforts of Armenian and Azerbaijani practitioners towards a peaceful and prosperous future for the South Caucasus

30 June 2022
Over 40 Armenian and Azerbaijani practitioners met for a roundtable discussion, supported by the European Union (EU), in Kachreti, Georgia, on 29-30 June 2022. Together with counterparts from the EU, UN and OSCE they discussed possible scenarios of a future peaceful South Caucasus. Discussions encompassed scenarios in the fields of economy and connectivity, security, governance and cultural policies, and assessed the possible steps that can be taken by national governments, civil societies and external actors to enhance prospects of viable solutions to the many challenges confronting long-lasting peace between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar, affirmed the EU’s continuing commitment to sustainable peace and welcomed the determination of practitioners to continue their efforts to engage in dialogue, build trust and counter embedded narratives precluding not only improved Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, but a peaceful and prosperous future of the South Caucasus region as a whole. 
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News
Leaders of “Caspian Five” hold their sixth summit in Ashgabat
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Leaders of “Caspian Five” hold their sixth summit in Ashgabat

30 June 2022
The leaders of the five Caspian littoral states, participated in a summit meeting in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat on Wednesday (29 June). The Caspian “five” are Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Addressing the gathering, Russian president Vladimir Putin said: “Russia unfailingly supports expanding partnerships within the Caspian “five” – in politics, security, the economy and nature conservation, as well as many other items on the humanitarian agenda.” Putin quickly reminded his four colleagues of Russia’s first priority when it comes to the Caspian, namely the exclusion of anyone else apart from the littoral states: “At the same time, we believe that prosperity in our shared region can only be guaranteed by an unfailing commitment to the principles enshrined in the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. The Convention stipulates the crucial provision, which is that the countries of the Caspian “five” are responsible for the Caspian region’s preservation and its sustainable development for current and future generations.”
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Event
Joint Armenian-Azerbaijani expert group on confidence-building measures agrees to intensify efforts
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Joint Armenian-Azerbaijani expert group on confidence-building measures agrees to intensify efforts

29 June 2022
The Joint Armenian-Azerbaijani Liaison Group on Confidence-building measures in support of lasting peace in the South Caucasus (JOLIG), made up of 11 Armenian and Azerbaijani independent experts and opinion-shapers, met in Kachreti, Georgia on 27 and 28 June 2022 to review its activity, and agree on a strategy as to how its work on confidence-building measures can contribute to efforts aimed at bringing lasting peace in the South Caucasus. Participants discussed ongoing efforts aimed at establishing the right conditions for the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan being undertaken by the governments of the two countries with the support of international players. They called on the leadership of the two countries to remain focused and committed to this mission. The group emphasised its belief that confidence-building measures are necessary to be implemented in the current state of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, and were indispensable as the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan seek peaceful solutions to long lasting disputes and controversies between them.
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Commentary
Commentary: A historic decision leaves Ukrainians delighted, Moldovans ecstatic and Georgians grumpy
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Commentary: A historic decision leaves Ukrainians delighted, Moldovans ecstatic and Georgians grumpy

24 June 2022
the European Council which gathers the 27 EU member states and the institutions, agreed to give Ukraine and Moldova candidate status with immediate effect. It gave Georgia "a membership perspective", with candidate status in the future if they can get their act together quickly. The Ukrainians were delighted. President Zelensky described it as a victory and promised not to rest until Russia’s defeat and full membership had been secured. In Moldova, the pro European government was ecstatic. Things had moved much faster than they had anticipated. In Georgia the situation is different, and the country is somewhat grumpy. Georgians do not  like to be last, and in a sense in this process at which they were until last year at the centre, they find themselves lagging behind the other two trio countries. The government has tried to put on a brave face saying that being given a membership perspective was a victory for Georgia too. The opposition accuses the government of squandering a historic opportunity which will have long lasting impact. In many ways both are right. An EU membership perspective is important for Georgia, even if it is largely an abstract term. It consolidates the relationship. But it would have been much better for Georgia if they had been given candidate status with the others. The ball is now in the court of the Georgian politicians, and the world will be watching.
commonspace.eu editorial team
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Opinion
Opinion: Azerbaijan’s vision for Karabakh’s future does not envision autonomy or secession
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Opinion: Azerbaijan’s vision for Karabakh’s future does not envision autonomy or secession

22 June 2022
“Azerbaijan does not intend to grant its Karabakh region any special status that is different from other regions of the country, but it will ensure the provision of cultural rights and  guarantee the security of its inhabitants as is provided throughout the rest  of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, says Vasif Husseynov in this op-ed for commonspace.eu He says that Baku and Yerevan can agree on the specific arrangements under which these are provided. “The temporary deployment of international observer missions of the United Nations, the OSCE or the European Union can be also considered to ensure stable and peaceful transition of the region under the control of Azerbaijani government.“
Vasif Huseynov
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News
Tens of thousands in pro European rally in Tbilisi
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Tens of thousands in pro European rally in Tbilisi

21 June 2022
Tens of thousands of Georgians attended a pro European rally in Tbilisi on Monday (20 June) amid continuing controversy about the country's European asspirations. On Friday, the European Commission recommended to EU leaders to give Georgia a membership perspective, but stopped short of granting the country the same candidate status as it recommended for Ukraine and Moldova. The three countries, sometimes referred to as the "Trio" countries recently submitted an application for full membership of the European Union. The EU on its part has dealt with the applications with unusual speed, motivated primarily by a wish to send a positive signal to Ukraine as it continues to resist a Russian military invasion. The Commission has recommended to give candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova but stopped short of doing so as regards Georgia. "It is up to Georgia to accelerate (the reforms) and move towards this open door," commented Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "Georgia must now come together politically to design a clear path towards structural reform and the EU,"  Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on twitter. "So we recommend to grant Georgia the European perspective, but to come back and assess how it meets a number of conditions before granting it candidate status."
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