Events of the Week: A crisis in the the international security system and the South Caucasus

The most high-profile event of the past week was the heated argument between Presidents Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House, which can be considered the culmination of the deepening disagreements between Europe and the US that started at the beginning of the year. After the scandalous incident in the Oval Office, Zelensky travelled to the UK, where European leaders (plus Canada’s Prime Minister) discussed security issues in the new realities. The fragmentation of the ‘collective West’ can certainly have an impact on the South Caucasus. What should the countries of the region do to increase their subjectivity and confront future challenges from a more stable position?

The trial of the former leaders of Nagorny Karabakh continues in Baku. The Armenian part of the Internet was recently shocked by the photos of Ruben Vardanyan, who is on hunger strike, with bruises on his face. Demonstrations were held in Armenia in defence of the rights of prisoners of war and other detainees, and a statement was also made by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has so far been silent on the issue. Representatives of a number of European and international organisations, as well as parliamentarians from various countries, spoke in defence of the Armenians on trial in Baku. The issue, which is extremely sensitive emotionally and at the same time has a diametrically opposite understanding in Armenia and Azerbaijan, can seriously influence the ongoing negotiations at the state level.

Experts Arsen Kharatyan and Farhad Mammadov discussed these and other topics in the next edition of ‘The Line of Contact – Events of the Week’ programme on PressKlub TV. The programme was produced on the joint initiative of Yerevan and Baku Press Clubs.