Political events in the Caucasus and beyond, views from Baku and Yerevan – June

Political analysts Areg Kochinyan and Farhad Mammadov discuss current events on the weekly  “Line of Contact – Events of the Week,” a joint initiative of the Yerevan and Baku Press Clubs. The program airs on PressKlub TV and CIVILNet. Below you will find links to all episodes released in June 2025. (All programmes were produced and published in Russian, selection of automatically generated English closed captions possible)

The Ankara-Baku-Islamabad triangle: is there a danger for Yerevan? (03.06.2025)

What can one conclude from the recent meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan that took place in Lachin. Is the impact of this widely publicised event on the processed taking place in the, above all, symbolic? As the relations between the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church deteriorate further, what are the possible consequences of this new phase of hostility. Furthermore, what could impact could the military tensions between India and Pakistan have on the Caucasus? What lies behind the US renewed interest in the region.

Cooperation on the one hand and heated debate on the other (09.06.2025)

Farhad Mammadov and Areg Kochinyan discuss the recent decision of the special services of Armenia and Azerbaijan to cooperate on issues related to the fate of those who went missing at various stages of the conflict. Moreover, a heated discussion between representatives of civil society in Armenia and Azerbaijan at a conference organised by OSCE ODIHR, invites interesting questions. Can this be linked to the official relations between the two countries, and to what extent do the approaches of civil society organizations correspond to official relations?

The 12-Day War: An Opportunity for Cooperation or New Confrontation in the Caucasus? (26.06.2025)

On June 25, after twelve days of active hostilities, a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Iran. Following the end of these hostilities, dubbed the “12-day war,” assessments of its outcome vary widely. What is the real outcome of the war, what consequences might it have for the region, how did the countries of the South Caucasus position themselves in relation to the Israeli-Iranian conflict, and how might all this affect the Armenian-Azerbaijani process?

Cracks in alliances, new prospects: Yerevan and Baku send messages to Moscow (June 30, 2025)

Following the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, the experts discuss further developments in the region. What can the countries of the South Caucasus expect following the conclusion of the war? Are the days when regional processes automatically provoked opposite reaction in Baku and Yerevan a thing of the past? As a new wave of tension is building in the relations of both Azerbaijan and Armenia with Russia, what resources does Moscow have left to restore its influence over these two countries, and how resistant are they to their former metropolis? Baku and Yerevan may resume high-level contacts with the aim of advancing the settlement process. What components will these possible contacts include?