The members of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform met in Antwerp, Belgium, on 27 February 2026. They discussed developments in the South Caucasus following the initialling of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 8 August 2025 at the White House. The members of the Platform declared that this is a moment of great importance for the South Caucasus and its neighbours. They emphasised that both the leaders and the people of the region must make good use of the present momentum for the long-term peace and prosperity of not only Armenia and Azerbaijan, but the entire region and its neighbours.
The Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform was established in 2024, with the support of LINKS Europe, to provide a continuous space where Armenian and Azerbaijani experts can hold direct discussions and conduct joint analysis, in complement to wider processes involving governments, experts, and civil society.
The current members of the Platform are, from Armenia: Dr. Stepan Grigorian, Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, and Mr. Johnny Melikyan; and from Azerbaijan: Dr. Anar Veliyev, Mr. Mehman Aliyev, and Mr. Ramazan Samadov.
On Thursday, 26 February 2026, members of the Platform participated in and spoke at a meeting titled: The Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process: next steps?, jointly organised by LINKS Europe and the European Policy Centre (EPC) in Brussels. Diplomats, regional experts, and civil society representatives attended the meeting, which was also addressed by Peter Svedberg from the Office of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus.
During the meeting in Antwerp, the members of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform also discussed the work that the LINKS network has carried out over the past three decades in support of peace in the region and Armenia-Azerbaijan reconciliation. The members highly valued the work done by the LINKS network over the years, including within the framework of the EPNK and EU4Peace programmes of the European Union since 2010. They emphasised that this work must continue, even if in a refined and adapted manner, and called on all stakeholders to support LINKS Europe’s work and plans for 2026–2027.
This statement was agreed upon by the members of the Strategic Platform: Dr. Stepan Grigorian, Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan, Mr. Johnny Melikyan, Dr. Anar Veliyev, Mr. Mehman Aliyev, and Mr. Ramazan Samadov.
