For decades, the South Caucasus was viewed as a frozen conflict zone — a geopolitical grey area where violence could erupt at any moment and where peace was discussed far more often than it was genuinely pursued. International actors alternated between neglect and last-minute crisis management, while regional dynamics remained hostage to narratives shaped in the 1990s. Yet today, the region stands at a turning point more profound than anything witnessed since the breakup of the Soviet Union. What recently occurred between Armenia and Azerbaijan would have been dismissed as unrealistic only a few years ago: the Armenian deputy prime minister traveling to Azerbaijan, the two sides meeting to advance border delimitation, and most striking of all, discussing bilateral trade, including the potential export of Azerbaijani oil and petroleum products to Armenia.