Historic Azerbaijani-Armenian civil society dialogue held in Yerevan
Azerbaijani and Armenian civil society representatives held a historic “roundtable” meeting in Yerevan on October 21–22, 2025, aimed at promoting a peaceful agenda following the Joint Declaration signed in Washington on August 8 between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The event, organized jointly by expert community activists with support from official structures in both countries, marked the first meeting of its kind in a strictly bilateral format, News.Az reports, citing local media.
The Armenian delegation included Areg Kochinyan, Boris Navasardyan, Naira Sultanyan, Narek Minasyan, and Samvel Meliksetyan, while the Azerbaijani side was represented by Farhad Mammadov, Kamala Mammadova, Rusif Huseynov, Ramil Iskandarli, and Dilara Efendiyeva.
During the visit, participants also met with Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia.
Azerbaijani political scientist and head of the South Caucasus Research Center, Farhad Mammadov, emphasized that although the meeting was a dialogue between civil society representatives, it received direct support from government structures.
“Both the Azerbaijani and Armenian governments were involved in preparing and conducting this meeting. That alone speaks to the significance of the event,” he noted. According to Mammadov, the discussions covered a wide range of topics related to bilateral relations.
“Previously, we had contacts with Armenian experts at international conferences organized by various foreign institutions. But this meeting was different because it was held exclusively in a bilateral format, without third-party participation or external mediators,” he said.
The political scientist added that since the signing of the Joint Declaration in Washington, a new atmosphere of trust has emerged between the two countries.
“Today, there is a unique opportunity to develop dialogue at the level of civil society, experts, and the media. One can say that a historic qualitative leap has occurred, and there is hope that this format of communication will become stable and permanent. I am confident that such meetings will take place regularly and become an integral part of bilateral interaction - not only in diplomatic and economic spheres but also at the societal level,” Mammadov said.
Human rights activist Dilara Efendiyeva described the Azerbaijani delegation’s visit to Yerevan as taking place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, leaving exclusively positive impressions.
“The meeting was very enjoyable. We were received extremely well, and it was clear that the Armenian side was genuinely interested in continuing work, fostering dialogue, and involving civil society in the peace process,” she said.
Efendiyeva added that the visit left not only professional but also emotional impressions. “Yerevan is a very beautiful, modern city. People were friendly. We even noticed that our delegation was recognized on the streets, and the reaction was always positive,” she said, noting the genuine readiness of Armenian society for dialogue and peace.
She emphasized that political issues were not discussed during the meeting, which focused primarily on prospects for economic interaction and cooperation between civil society representatives from both countries.
“We agreed on further cooperation, discussed possibilities for expanding collaboration, and outlined contours of future joint projects. Symbolically, on the day of our meeting, the news appeared that all restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia through Azerbaijan had been lifted, which greatly encouraged our Armenian counterparts,” Efendiyeva said.
She added that the Azerbaijani delegation views this visit as the beginning of long-term engagement, expressing gratitude to the Azerbaijani presidential administration, the Armenian prime minister’s office, and other structures that supported the initiative.
Kamala Mammadova, editor-in-chief of the 1news.az news website, described the meeting as highly constructive and productive. “The meeting addressed issues that genuinely concern our society. Naturally, the discussion focused on the peace agenda and our group’s readiness to continue joint initiatives,” she said, adding that the meeting also covered humanitarian issues, logistics, and confidence-building measures.
“Overall, the meeting was different from previous ones. It reflected a high level of mutual understanding, with no negativity; the organization was top-notch, security was ensured, and no unpleasant incidents occurred,” Mammadova said.
She emphasized that since the leaders of the two countries began direct dialogue, the process has noticeably progressed. “We hope that initiatives like ours will also contribute to the overall peace process,” she said.
Commenting on the meeting with Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan, Mammadova noted its positive and constructive tone, describing it as focused on continuing peace initiatives. “Armen Grigoryan personally showed great interest in developing the dialogue. He answered all our questions and stressed the importance of ensuring that the process of advancing and establishing contacts proceeds as quickly as possible,” she said.
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