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2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum held successfully in Tbilisi. Next forum will be held in Yerevan and after that in Baku

2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum held successfully in Tbilisi. Next forum will be held in Yerevan and after that in Baku

The 2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum was successfully held in the Georgian Capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday, 28 October 2025, with the participation of over seventy experts, activists, diplomats and journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and from a dozen European countries and organisations. The forum is an initiative of LINKS Europe, working with partners across the South Caucasus. This year's forum was special because of the participation of around forty Armenian and Azerbaijanis members of the Thematic Groups for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue.  The 2nd South Caucasus Dialogue Forum provided for a very thorough and interesting discussion of current developments in the region. In the Forum the Armenian and Azerbaijani members were also joined by Georgian participants, as well as representatives of the EUSR Office, EUMA and Ambassadors and diplomats from around ten European countries. Also actively participating were the members of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform. During the Forum it was announced that the 3rd Forum will be held in Yerevan in 2026, whilst the 4th Forum will be held in Baku is 2027, accompanying the process and meetings of the European Political Community, which are also expected to be held in the two countries in 2026/7. It was also announced that the members of the Strategic Expert Platform, working under the auspices of LINKS Europe (Dr Dennis Sammut, Chair, Dr Anar Veliyev, Mr Ramazan Samadov and Mr Mehman Aliyev (members Azerbaijan); Mr Stepan Grigoryan, Mr Benyamin Poghosyan and Mr Johnny Melikyan, members Armenia;) shall form the Political Preparatory Committee for the two events.

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The restoration of all regional communications is the only viable  path to lasting peace in the South Caucasus

The restoration of all regional communications is the only viable path to lasting peace in the South Caucasus

Will the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) set to connect Azerbaijan with Nakhijevan and Türkiye via Armenia help establish lasting peace and prosperity for all?  Interestingly, if the Washington Declaration speaks about restoration of all communications, with reciprocal benefits for Armenia, the spotlight has been about the TRIPP and only about it. This oversight misses a vital point necessary for lasting peace and stability in the region.
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Azerbaijan Calls for Deeper Cooperation within the Organization of Turkic States

Azerbaijan Calls for Deeper Cooperation within the Organization of Turkic States

The 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), held on 7 October 2025 in Gabala, Azerbaijan, marked a decisive stage in the evolution of integration within the Turkic world. Under the theme “Regional Peace and Security,” the summit, chaired by President Ilham Aliyev, brought together leaders from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and observer states Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Gabala’s historical symbolism as a crossroads of the Caucasus and Central Asia reflected the OTS’s broader vision of unity, connectivity, and shared destiny.
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Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as Trump’s Gaza plan is endorsed in Egypt summit

Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees released as Trump’s Gaza plan is endorsed in Egypt summit

Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday 13 October under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees, as U.S. President Donald Trump declared the end of the two-year long war in the Middle East. Hours later, Trump convened Muslim and European leaders in Egypt to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip and the possibility of a wider regional peace, even as Hamas and Israel, both absent from the gathering, are yet to agree on the next steps. The Israeli military said it had received all 20 hostages confirmed to be alive, after their transfer form Gaza by the Red Cross. The announcement prompted cheering, hugging and weeping among thousands waiting at "Hostage Square" in Tel Aviv. In Gaza, thousands of relatives, many weeping with joy, gathered at a hospital where buses brought home some of the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees to be freed by Israel as part of the accord. "The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace," Trump told the Knesset, Israel's parliament, saying a "long nightmare" for both Israelis and Palestinians was over.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tajikistan for summit meetings

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tajikistan for summit meetings

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tajikistan in Central Asia to attend meetings with leaders of other ex-Soviet republics likely to focus on regional development and their relations with Moscow, according to Reuters. A Kremlin announcement said Putin would take part, on Thursday 9 October, in a Russia-Central Asia summit, also to be attended by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They will then be joined by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus at a meeting of the broader Commonwealth of Independent States bringing together former Soviet republics.
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Israel and Hamas agree ceasefire in first phase of Trump’s peace plan

Israel and Hamas agree ceasefire in first phase of Trump’s peace plan

Israel and Hamas agreed to pause fighting in Gaza to free the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, accepting elements of a plan put forward by the Trump administration that Palestinians greeted reluctantly on Thursday 9 October as a possible breakthrough toward ending the devastating two-year-old war. Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all 20 living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an agreement that has not fully been made public.
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A divided Israel marks October 7 anniversary as talks with Hamas continue in Egypt

A divided Israel marks October 7 anniversary as talks with Hamas continue in Egypt

Thousands of people converged on southern Israel on Tuesday 7 October to mourn the dead as the nation marked two years since the attack of two years ago that plunged the region into a devastating war, while Israel and Hamas hold indirect talks in Egypt. The negotiations between the two sides being held in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh have been "positive" so far, two sources close to the Palestinian militants' negotiating team told AFP, with discussions set to resume later on Tuesday. Mediators were shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations under tight security. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters in Cairo, negotiations were underway for a "first phase" of the agreement, adding the discussions were focused on creating "the climate on the ground to complete the step of releasing the hostages". Trump has urged negotiators to "move fast" to end the war in Gaza, where Israeli strikes continued on Monday. Trump told Newsmax TV that "I think we're very, very close to having a deal... I think there's a lot of goodwill being shown now. It's pretty amazing actually".
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From Frozen Ties to Open Skies: Turkish Airlines to Connect Armenia and Türkiye

From Frozen Ties to Open Skies: Turkish Airlines to Connect Armenia and Türkiye

“Welcome to Armenia,” the pilot’s voice came over the tannoy as the Turkish Atlasjet flight touched down in Yerevan some time in 2011. “The temperature outsider is…” A normal announcement on any flight. This one, however, came in Turkish before being repeated in English. In Armenia. That was 14 years ago now. Despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the flights have existed for years albeit with some interruptions and later operated by Pegasus and Flyone.
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Opinion
Opinion: Clearing landmines in the South Caucasus is key to peace and regional cooperation

Opinion: Clearing landmines in the South Caucasus is key to peace and regional cooperation

On 1 September 2025, LINKS Europe launched the regional campaign 'Landmine Free South Caucasus 2025'.While the world's attention is focused on new conflicts and crises, and some countries have withdrawn from the Ottawa Treaty due to heightened security concerns, the South Caucasus remains trapped by the deadly remnants of wars, some fought decades ago, others more recent. Although recent months have seen breakthroughs in relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, suggesting that sustainable peace is within reach, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) continue to pose a daily threat in the region and remain a contentious issue in relations. They claim innocent victims, hinder economic development, and cause ecological damage.