Yesterday it became known that RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeihun Bayramov. According to the press release of the RA Foreign Ministry, the ministers noted with satisfaction the positive developments in the further settlement process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeihun Bayramov also discussed issues of cooperation on regional and multilateral platforms,” ​​the message states.

It is also noteworthy that this is the second Mirzoyan-Bayram phone conversation this month. Earlier, on March 5, Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with Jeihun Bayramov. According to the RA MFA, during the conversation, the ministers exchanged ideas on the latest developments in the region. “The parties expressed concern and noted the importance of refraining from actions aimed at further escalation of tension, emphasizing the need to ensure stability and security.

The ministers noted with satisfaction the importance of stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and exchanged ideas on issues of mutual interest,” the message said. By the way, this phone call took place a few days after the war started by the USA and Israel against Iran.

The recent telephone conversations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeihun Bayramov, take place at a stage when the regional security environment has changed dramatically and is still changing. The escalating situation around Iran and the US-Israeli military operations against Iran are turning the South Caucasus into a broader geopolitical competition zone, which inevitably affects the logic of the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations as well.

In this situation, the contacts of the two ministers can at first glance be perceived as a continuation of the so-called peace process discussion, but in reality they seem to have a deeper content. First, the parties are trying to maintain the already achieved negotiation dynamics. Continuity of contacts seems to be important for the parties to show that even a wide regional crisis does not stop the bilateral process, because obviously the situation created in the immediate neighborhood can freeze, abort or delay many processes in the South Caucasus.

The second important direction is the discussions on regional risks. The developments around Iran are sensitive both for Armenia and especially for Azerbaijan, which has already faced incidents in Nakhichevan. Thirdly, the discussions refer to interaction on multilateral platforms. Contacts with Mirzoyan-Bayram are also an attempt to “coordinate” further negotiation and cooperation formats. The most important thing is that at the current stage, the Armenia-Azerbaijan process in the South Caucasus, being part of a wider geopolitical game, continues to be under the influence of international developments.

Russian analyst Alexander Khramchikhin 168.amtold that Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be without concerns in the background of the war against Iran, because it directly affects the process that started months ago in the White House.

First of all, in his opinion, the terms of the process started with the mediation of the US and the implementation of some practical issues will be extended, because the White House is busy in other directions.
“Besides, the tension around Iran can both speed up the process, forcing the parties to rush to an agreement, and, on the contrary, freeze it, if the opposition of the great powers deepens. This duality is currently the key factor that pushes the parties to contacts and global caution.

These ministerial telephone conversations are not just contacts. They are an attempt to maintain negotiation progress, manage new security risks and realign positions in a changing geopolitical environment. The South Caucasus has entered a stage where the peace process is no longer determined only by the logic of developments between Yerevan and Baku, but also between Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv.

As we have discussed many times, the change in Tehran’s positions can play an equally important role in all of this. Currently, Iran maintains its positions, this also extends to the trends of the South Caucasus, the same applies to the USA as well,” he said.

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