Diplomacy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, is travelling to Paris for talks with European allies on U.S. efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The State Department said Rubio and Witkoff would be in the French capital Thursday for the meetings. The officials will have “talks with European counterparts to advance President Trump’s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed,” department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Wednesday.

Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov had an exchange about the pending peace agreement between the two countries during a high level diplomatic forum in Antalya. The two debated the current political situation in the region during a panel discussion titled “Challenges and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation in the South Caucasus” held during the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

The President of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly, Finnish MP Pia Kauma (NCP), met with a Russian representative during the annual meeting of the organisation’s Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan drawing fire for violating the EU policy of isolating Russia after the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

The inaugural meeting of the two co-chairs of the thematic group on Peace and Security was hosted in The Hague by LINKS Europe in parallel with the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Political Dialogue Platform. During the meeting held on 2 April and chaired by LINKS Europe, Leonid Nersissian (Armenia) and Murad Muradov (Azerbaijan) discussed the work plan for the next nine months.

A conference organised in The Hague by LINKS Europe Foundation brought together experts and activists from the South Caucasus, the European Union and beyond to discuss the current state of political transition in the region. The gathering gave particular attention to the European Union's evolving role in the region amidst rapidly changing domestic and regional dynamics as well as Türkiye's influence as a regional power.

Finland's prime minister has announced that Finland plans to withdraw from the international treaty banning the use of anti-personnel mines, citing the threat from Russia. The announcement comes two weeks after Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia took a first step towards also quitting the treaty, with them all pointing to the increased security risk from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.Finland's prime minister has announced that Finland plans to withdraw from the international treaty banning the use of anti-personnel mines, citing the threat from Russia. The announcement comes two weeks after Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia took a first step towards also quitting the treaty, with them all pointing to the increased security risk from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Last week, LINKS Europe organised a major conference in the Hague with the theme, “The South Caucasus, again in transition”. The event brought together experts, policy practitioners, and political voices from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to discuss the regional dynamics in the South Caucasus and the role of the European Union and Türkiye in the region.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa travelled to Uzbekistan to participate in a landmark EU–Central Asia summit. Held on 3–4 April, the event brings together EU leaders with the heads of state and government of the five Central Asian republics. Alongsidei the host, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the summit was also attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN EXPERT POLITICAL DIALOGUE PLATFORM STATEMENT – 3 April 2025 The first meeting of the new Armenia-Azerbaijan Political Dialogue Platform was held in The Hague, The Netherlands on 2–3 April on the margins of the Conference organised by LINKS Europe entitled “The South Caucasus: Again in Transition”. The meeting was attended by the following members of the platform: Stepan Grigoryan (Armenia), Johnny Melikyan (Armenia), Benyamin Poghosyan (Armenia); Ahmad Alili (Azerbaijan); Mehman Aliyev (Azerbaijan) and Ramazan Samadov (Azerbaijan). LINKS Europe is facilitating and chairing the Platform. The members of the platform noted with pleasure that Armenia and Azerbaijan had in the last eighteen months, in direct negotiations, discussed and reached agreements on a number of issues, including on issues related to border delimitation and the text of a peace agreement between them. The members of the Platform welcomed these developments and stated their readiness to work together to strengthen and build on these achievements. The members of the platform stated that they remain vigilant to the risk of a deterioration of the situation and will do their utmost to prevent any such deterioration. The members of the platform welcomed the focus on the European Union and Turkey, as key external partners of the region, in the conference “The South Caucasus, again in transition”. On the European Union, the members of the platform noted recent developments and efforts by the EU to play an increased positive role as a global player. The members of the platform welcomed the continued interest and engagement of the EU with the South Caucasus. The members of the Platform called on the EU to develop a unified and clear strategy on the South Caucasus and called for discussions on this strategy to start. The members of the platform discussed a number of practical steps that they will take in the future, including in the development of Armenia-Azerbaijan media contacts. The members of the Platform called for a dialogue between the three countries of the South Caucasus and Turkey. They expressed their readiness to work in this direction through work and contact with Turkish Partners. The members of the platform thanked LINKS Europe for its work. They noted that the LINKS Europe segment of the EU4Peace III initiative includes new and innovative work that aims to involve a new generation in the process of regional peace. The members of the platform stand ready to support LINKS Europe in its endeavours.