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Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform: Members emphasise the importance of the present moment for the South Caucasus and call for the momentum to be used for the long-term peace and prosperity of the region

Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform: Members emphasise the importance of the present moment for the South Caucasus and call for the momentum to be used for the long-term peace and prosperity of the region

On 27 February 2026, the members of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform met in Antwerp, Belgium, to assess 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 described the present moment as one of major importance for the region and its neighbours, urging leaders and societies alike to use the current momentum to secure long-term peace and prosperity. Established in 2024 with the support of LINKS Europe, the Platform provides a space for direct dialogue and joint analysis between Armenian and Azerbaijani experts. The members also reaffirmed the importance of continued international engagement and expressed strong support for LINKS Europe’s ongoing peacebuilding work in the region. (Click on the image above for the full statement.)
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Thursday Interview: Dr. Anar Valiyev

Thursday Interview: Dr. Anar Valiyev

Dr. Anar Valiyev is an Associate Professor of Urban and Public Affairs at ADA University in Baku, Azerbaijan, with more than 18 years of experience in higher education. His research focuses on public policy, urban development, governance, and post-Soviet regional affairs. He holds a PhD in Urban and Public Affairs from the University of Louisville and has published widely on urbanisation, policy reform, and regional connectivity in the South Caucasus and beyond. This week, commonspace.eu spoke with Dr. Valiyev in Brussels ahead of a roundtable jointly organised by LINKS Europe Foundation and the European Policy Centre. He is taking part in a panel discussion focusing on the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process, its implications for both countries and the wider region, the involvement of the European Union and the United States, and the challenges that lie ahead. In this interview, he reflects on how his research has evolved over nearly two decades in academia, examines the transformative potential of regional connectivity and trade, discusses the strategic role of energy in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, and highlights the importance of people-to-people ties through education as a form of long-term soft power. (Read the full interview by clicking on the image above)

Something for the weekend #TogetherAtHome with WHO

Tomorrow, April 18, the WHO, alongside partners, will host a global virtual gathering. William Murray tell us more in this short article for commonspace.eu 

In an effort to promote togetherness in this difficult time, the World Health Organization (WHO) with Global Citizen - an organisation dedicated to bringing people together to help achieve the goal of ending global poverty by 2030 - are hosting an virtual global gathering. 'Together At Home' is a series of daily, online, no-contact concerts set up by Global Citizen "to inspire us all to stay inside and take action." Performances over the last weeks have included the likes of Coldplay's Chris Martin, the Barenaked Ladies, and Jack Johnson; but tomorrow's event is set to be much larger.

Curated by Lady Gaga, 'One World: Together at Home' and will feature appearances from many of the world's most famous names, including musicians (including Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, and Paul McCartney), actors (such as Samuel L Jackson, James McAvoy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) and others (including F1 Driver, Lewis Hamilton). It also promises the involvement of Global Health Experts and world leaders, who will join together from home to tackle loneliness and support the ongoing work of the frontline medical staff as they tackle the novel coronavirus. 

"The World Health Organization is committed to defeating the coronavirus pandemic with science and public health measures, and supporting the health workers who are on the frontlines of the response," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. "We may have to be apart physically for a while, but we can still come together virtually to enjoy great music. The 'One World: Together At Home' concert represents a powerful show of solidarity against a common threat."

The event kicks off tomorrow at 17:00 Los Angeles time (01:00 CEST) and will be streamed live on the internet as well as being shown on television channels across the world - both live and on Sunday (April 19). The full list of participating media agencies and more information on the how to get involved is available on the Global Citizen website.

Alongside tomorrow's event, Global Citizen is urging people to take the pledge to stay at home for those that cannot, in order to tackling the spread of COVID-19. You can join the more than 58,000 that have already made the pledge, 'As A Global Citizen, I'm Staying Home!' here.

 Source: William Murray, Project Officer and Coordinator at LINKS Europe, for commonspace.eu

Featured references: 

Global Citizen - 'Take the Pledge: As A Global Citizen, I'm Staying Home!': https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/as-a-global-citizen-i-stay-at-home/ 

Global Citizen - 'One World: Together At Home April 18': https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/connect/togetherathome/

The World Health Organization - ''One World: Together At Home' Global Special': https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2020/04/18/default-calendar/one-world-together-at-home-global-special

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform: Members emphasise the importance of the present moment for the South Caucasus and call for the momentum to be used for the long-term peace and prosperity of the region

Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform: Members emphasise the importance of the present moment for the South Caucasus and call for the momentum to be used for the long-term peace and prosperity of the region

On 27 February 2026, the members of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Strategic Expert Platform met in Antwerp, Belgium, to assess 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 described the present moment as one of major importance for the region and its neighbours, urging leaders and societies alike to use the current momentum to secure long-term peace and prosperity. Established in 2024 with the support of LINKS Europe, the Platform provides a space for direct dialogue and joint analysis between Armenian and Azerbaijani experts. The members also reaffirmed the importance of continued international engagement and expressed strong support for LINKS Europe’s ongoing peacebuilding work in the region. (Click on the image above for the full statement.)

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Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)