Armenian And Azerbaijani Civil Society Hold Discussions in Baku

| News, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan

On November 21, during the visit of Armenian civil society representatives to Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, a two-day round of discussions was held as part of the "Bridge of Peace" initiative. A delegation of Armenian civil society representatives—Arek Kochinyan, Boris Navasardyan, Naira Sultanyan, Narek Minasyan, and Samvel Meliksetyan—arrived in Baku and met with their Azerbaijani counterparts. According to Ramil Iskenderli, the Chairman of the Board of the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan, the sides continued the process that had begun a month earlier in Yerevan and agreed to operate under a unified name, the "Bridge of Peace".

During the meetings held on November 21–22, both delegations exchanged views on the normalization of relations, the current environment, and prospects for advancing the peace agenda. Particular attention was paid to the importance of civil society in sustaining dialogue and to future joint steps within this framework. The discussions resulted in several agreements: intensifying contacts in the media sphere, establishing direct communication among experts in various fields, introducing mechanisms to better inform civil society, and organizing reciprocal visits within the initiative. As Iskenderli stated, "The concrete and practical nature of these outcomes was the main achievement of the meetings".

Representatives of the initiative also met with Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and the Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration. The conversation focused on strengthening the peace agenda following the Washington meeting, and participants received answers to their questions. Alongside the official program, a cultural itinerary was arranged, with the Armenian delegation visiting several historical sites and cultural centers in Baku. According to Iskenderli, the cultural component generated strong interest among the Armenian visitors and became an important part of their stay in Baku. Recently, a similar bilateral roundtable was held in Yerevan with representatives from both Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society. The meeting was explicitly tied to the Joint Declaration signed in Washington on August 8, 2025, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which reset the tone for normalization. Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Armenian Security Council, attended the meeting. Grigoryan emphasized that involving different segments of society (not just elites) is important for building trust and advancing the peace process. He saw the format as complementary to the official normalization track: civil society can help deepen and sustain the peace agenda. The dialogue covered a wide range of topics: peace prospects, humanitarian issues, economic and logistical cooperation, and trust-building measures.

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