The press conference of members of the “Peace Bridge” initiative, who recently visited Azerbaijan, was held in Yerevan. The members of the Armenian delegation spoke about the humanitarian discussions, the state of communications and the prospects of changing public sentiments in the conditions of the complex peace process.
The fourth round of mutual visits has already taken place within the framework of the “Bridge of Peace” civil society initiative. The 20-person delegation representing Armenia visited Azerbaijan, crossing the demarcated part of the border. According to Areg Kochinyan, the head of the Armenian delegation, the preservation and expansion of such a format after almost four decades of conflict is a significant achievement in itself. He emphasized that the initiative does not aim to rewrite or forget history, but is aimed at forming new narratives and opportunities for the coexistence of societies. Kochinyan noted that there are no guarantees of the success of the peace process, but refusing to work in this direction guarantees that there will never be peace.
Naira Sultanyan, a member of the delegation, drew attention to the humanitarian block of the negotiations. The Armenian side has repeatedly raised the issues of the return of prisoners, detained persons and missing persons, declaring that the unresolved humanitarian aspects contradict the logic of peaceful settlement. The Azerbaijani side, for its part, expressed concern regarding the problem of mined areas, because of which hundreds of people suffered, and also raised the issue of missing persons from the war of the 1990s. According to Sultanyan, such contacts allow to listen to the nuances of the other party’s perception of problems and to work towards strengthening trust so that humanitarian issues are depoliticized.
One of the important aspects of the visit was the study of transport infrastructure. Political scientist Samvel Meliksetyan shared his observations on the state of logistics routes. He emphasized the sharp contrast between modern four-lane highways and high-speed trains in Azerbaijan and outdated communications in Armenia. According to him, the 300 km journey along the Azerbaijani-Georgian highway required less time than the 170 km through the territory of Armenia. Meliksetyan noted that long-term isolation and the status of a “closed country” had a negative impact on Armenia’s transit competitiveness. He also added that the issue of transport connection with Nakhichevan remains key for Azerbaijan, and the delay in the process of unblocking communications contains risks.
Delegate Boris Navasardyan summarized the results related to public sentiments. He noted that Azerbaijani colleagues in their society record a gradual increase in the proportion of people who positively perceive the process of normalization of relations with Armenia. It is expected that after the parliamentary elections in Armenia, the civil dialogue format can be expanded, turning into a cluster work, where field specialists (environmentalists, businessmen, economists) of the two countries will start direct contacts for the purpose of implementing joint projects.
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