Back on Track: Armenia-Azerbaijan Track II Diplomacy in Tbilisi, Georgia

Caucasus Edition Symposium, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2022

UPDATE, 8 May 2022: Caucasus Edition has since posted its summary of the event and what was discussed on their website here.
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Though there have been many online Zoom discussions between Armenian and Azerbaijan activists, analysts and academics during and especially since the 2020 Karabakh War, there have been precious few actual in-person meetings. In part, this has been because of pandemic travel restrictions, but not only. For example, one meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani analysts due to be held late last year was postponed because of the November border skirmishes and has still yet to be held. If it will at all, of course.

It’s for that reason that it was encouraging and refreshing to discover that Caucasus Edition held a one day symposium, The Future of Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations in Tbilisi, Georgia, on the 17th January. Some 50 Armenian and Azerbaijani as well as international professionals and activists involved in cross-border cooperation and conflict-resolution initiatives to date were invited to the event.

There’s still a long way to go, of course, and until such events can be held in Armenia and Azerbaijan, rather than third countries such as Georgia, and with the participation of all, it is admittedly hardly ideal. There also remains the need to make such events more inclusive and open to others, but they nonetheless remain desperately necessary. On that, one good sign – the US Embassy in Baku has already announced that grants are now available for just that.  

Hopefully, there can now also be a proper focus on alternative narratives as well as on media and social media, something that I know the International Crisis Group’s Zaur Shiriyev also believes is necessary too. Anyway, Caucasus Edition will likely publish something on what was discussed later so I will leave that to them. For now, a few photos from the event.

Nigar Goksel, International Crisis Group, Caucasus Edition Symposium, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2022

Ahmad Alili, Caucasus Policy Analysis Center, Caucasus Edition Symposium, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2022

Mikayel Zolyan, Political Analyst, Caucasus Edition Symposium, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2022

Phil Gamaghelyan, Caucasus Edition Symposium, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2022

Olesya Vartanyan, International Crisis Group, Caucasus Edition Symposium, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2022