Is the West Prepared to Play a More Active Role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Peace Process?

On 5 April, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.

This, in a sense, unprecedented event caused not only high expectations in the Armenian media and among the expert community, but also a certain nervous reaction on the part of Russia and Azerbaijan. While Moscow’s assessment was that the main fear was the ‘opening of a second front’ for Russia as a result of Armenia’s closer integration with Western structures, Baku’s statements at the highest level were along the lines that unilateral Western support would allow Armenia to restore its military potential and increase its chances of revenge against Azerbaijan. Baku’s concerns were somewhat alleviated when, just before the meeting, it was reported that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had telephone conversations with Blinken and von der Leyen at the latter’s initiative.

To what extent were the positive expectations of Armenians and fears of Azerbaijanis about this meeting justified, to what extent will the participation of the West in general contribute to peace and economic prosperity in the region in the long term? Political scientist and historian Mikayel Zolyan and Ahmed Alili, Director of the Caucasus Centre for Political Analysis, discussed this topic in the studio of ‘Civilnet’.

The programme was produced within the framework of the joint initiative of Yerevan and Baku Press Clubs ‘The Line of Contact’ and broadcast on CivilNet in April 2024.