By Paul Vartan Sookiasian
Themes of normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and opening regional transport links through Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” plan were major topics of discussion at today’s opening session of the Yerevan Dialogue conference in the Armenian capital. Organized by the Armenian Foreign Ministry and the India-based Observer Research Foundation, the conference featured international diplomats and leaders, along with academics, civil society representatives, and policymakers, to discuss today’s challenges and possible solutions.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan opened the conference on an optimistic note that was repeated many times throughout the day. “Lasting peace in the South Caucasus is not only possible, but also realistic,” he said. He presented Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” plan aimed at promoting the connectivity of the region, based on the principles of sovereignty of states and jurisdiction over infrastructure passing through their territories.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan pointed to the recent border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and progress on the text of a draft normalization deal as evidence for this optimism.
“We in Armenia have made up our mind in choosing the peace agenda because we see the benefits it has, but we need the other [regional] partners to join in this… you can’t dance alone, you must have a partner who wants to dance with you,” Mirzoyan said, adding that a South Caucasus which is united is much more appealing to the rest of the world.
In his speech later in the day, Armenia’s special envoy to Turkey Ruben Rubinyan struck a more critical note, saying, “Unfortunately, if we look at the positions of Azerbaijan, you can clearly see they are directed at creating a new architecture of conflict.”
Rubinyan noted that the interaction between people from Armenia and Azerbaijan is an important part of making peace, and that it should be each country’s responsibility to guarantee the security of citizens from the other passing through it. Rubinyan stated Armenia is ready to sign a peace deal immediately if Azerbaijan agrees, and it is up to its leadership to find the political will to do so.
International Voices
These issues were also touched upon by the global leaders who took part in the day’s panels. In particular, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel issued a challenge to Azerbaijan over signing a normalization deal.
“If the Azeri government wants to prove they believe in peace and they want to be pragmatic and constructive, [now] is the moment before the COP29 [UN global climate summit taking place this November in Baku] that this peace agreement should be signed,” Bettel said.
Former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė emphasized the importance of economic and energy resilience toward Armenia’s goal of securing political and economic independence.
During the same panel, Iranian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Hassan Sheikholeslami referred to his country’s vocal opposition to the Zangezur corridor demand.
“We welcome the removal of blockages from the transportation routes in the region by emphasizing the need to respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction of the countries along the route, and the respect of the mutual interests of all countries in the region,” Sheikholeslami noted.
Georgia’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Laksha Darsalia endorsed the “Crossroads of Peace” plan and the deepening regional cooperation. He offered Georgia as a trilateral setting for normalization talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, calling the current bilateral setting “very difficult at the moment to have a positive agenda.”
The Yerevan Dialogue continues with another day of panel discussions.
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