Johnny Melikian and Ramazan Samadov are members of a Joint Liaison Group of Armenian and Azerbaijani experts preparing a report on how confidence building measures can support lasting peace in the South Caucasus. In this joint paper they discuss the important role of connectivity, which they say is a key factor in building the region's future.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the American President, Joe Biden, pledged on Friday (28 January) to strengthen cooperation to ensure the energy security of the EU and Ukraine.
A statement posted late on Tuesday on the website of the European Council stated that "President Michel assured both leaders of the EU’s commitment to work closely with Armenia and Azerbaijan in overcoming conflict, creating cooperation and an atmosphere of trust, with a view to sustainable peace in the region ultimately underpinned by a comprehensive peace agreement".
The long awaited meeting of the three leaders came after more than one year since the end of the 44 day Karabakh war, during which the process to bring peace and stability to the South Caucasus appeared to be faltering. The Sochi meeting has been hailed by the three countries participating in it as a success, and as a start of a new chapter in relations.
"When playing on Armenian vulnerabilities, both Azerbaijan and Turkey should take into account that each step aimed at increasing fears in Armenia leads to a new level of dependence on Russia", writes Alexander Petrosyan in this op-ed. "In the end, everything is a matter of interpretation and perception", he argues.
The "corridors war", currently being hotly debated among experts, pundits, and policy-making circles in the South Caucasus, is largely based on wishful thinking rather than hard facts. In reality the options are rather limited, argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed.