Armenian civil society delegation visits Baku under Peace Bridge initiative
A group of Armenian civil society representatives visited Baku on 21–22 November as part of the Peace Bridge initiative, marking a new stage in efforts to build trust and deepen dialogue between Armenian and Azerbaijani societies, News.Az reports, citing local media.
The delegation — Areg Kochinyan, Boris Navasardyan, Naira Sultanyan, Narek Minasyan and Samvel Meliksetyan — held discussions with their Azerbaijani counterparts Farhad Mammadov, Rusif Huseynov, Kamala Mammadova, Ramil Iskandarli and Fuad Abdullayev. The sides reviewed the dynamics of the peace process, explored the role of civil society, and discussed future joint projects.
Both sides agreed to step up cooperation in the media sphere, strengthen expert-level contacts, and expand civil society involvement in advancing peace. They also agreed to maintain working-level communication and organise future reciprocal visits under the Peace Bridge initiative.
As part of the programme, the delegation met Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Presidential Administration’s Foreign Policy Department. Hajiyev briefed participants on steps taken by Baku and Yerevan following the recent Washington meeting and answered questions from Armenian representatives.
Kamala Mammadova, editor-in-chief of 1news.az, described the visit as “constructive and positive overall”.
“Our previous visit to Yerevan was more introductory. This time, the sides already knew one another, which allowed for a more sincere atmosphere and helped us focus on achieving concrete results,” she said.
According to Mammadova, the delegations agreed on several six-month joint projects covering media cooperation, expert exchanges and deeper civil society engagement. She highlighted that the initiative was formally named the Peace Bridge Initiative in Baku.
She also stressed the importance of the cultural programme, noting that the Armenian delegation toured key historical and cultural sites, including the Maiden Tower, Shirvanshah Palace, the Botanical Garden and the Armenian Church in Baku.
“They said they did not expect such scale. Baku appeared to them as a large, diverse and very clean city,” she said, noting that the visit to the Armenian Church, including a tour in Armenian, left a particularly strong impression.
Rusif Huseynov, co-founder and director of the Topchubashov Centre, said maintaining momentum was essential.
“One of our main achievements was choosing a name for our initiative. Calling it the Peace Bridge Initiative reflects our serious intent to ensure continuity,” he said.
Huseynov noted that discussions focused on short- and medium-term joint projects involving think tanks, media organisations and other parts of civil society.
“I hope that in the coming period you will see concrete results from this process and our meetings,” he added.
Fuad Abdullayev, an expert at the Centre of Analysis of International Relations, said the meeting — his first in this format — helped deepen his understanding of the dialogue process.
“We reviewed earlier agreements, coordinated a joint action plan for the next six months and began detailed discussion of specific project areas. I see this as an important step toward practical cooperation,” he said.
Abdullayev also emphasised the significance of naming the platform in Baku.
“The name Peace Bridge reflects the participants’ desire to create a sustainable dialogue platform. Such meetings build trust, enable open exchanges and shape a new environment of mutual understanding,” he said.
He added that Baku had “confirmed its status as a city where constructive peace initiatives take shape”.
The sides agreed to continue regular meetings in both Baku and Yerevan to advance cooperation and maintain the momentum of the peace dialogue.
The Armenian experts’ trip follows a meeting in Yerevan on 21–22 October 2025 between Azerbaijani and Armenian civil society representatives. The meeting aimed to promote a peaceful agenda following the Joint Declaration signed in Washington on August 8 by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The event, organized jointly by civil society activists with support from official structures in both countries, was the first of its kind held in a strictly bilateral format. During the visit, participants also met with Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia.
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