Is 2026 a Turning Point for Armenia and Azerbaijan?

The peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, initialed in August 2025, represents a major turning point for the South Caucasus.

Thomas de Waal, Zaur Shiriyev, and Areg Kochinyan discuss the role Europe can play in supporting normalization and advancing infrastructure development across the region.

[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:37] The Armenia-Azerbaijan Normalization, [00:11:23] New Connectivity Projects in the South Caucasus, [00:19:31] Europe’s Role in Supporting the Peace Process.

Zaur Shiriyev, February 3, 2026, “Europe Falls Behind in the South Caucasus Connectivity Race,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Thomas de Waal, December 16, 2025, “Trump’s Peace Lessons for Europe,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Zaur Shiriyev and Philip Gamaghelyan, December 4, 2025, “Strategic Directions for Building Sustainable Peace Between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

Thomas de Waal, November 13, 2025, “Armenia’s Election Is a Foreign Affair,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.

Thomas de Waal, September 22, 2025, “An Unlikely Road to Peace for Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Foreign Affairs.

Philip Gamaghelyan and Zaur Shiriyev, August 7, 2025, “As They Edge Toward Peace, Armenia and Azerbaijan Must Resist Old Habits,” Emissary, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Zaur Shiriyev, May 26, 2025, “The Precarious Power of Azerbaijan,” Foreign Affairs.

Thomas de Waal, March 17, 2025, “Armenia and Azerbaijan’s Major Step Forward,” Emissary, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Areg Kochinyan, July 12, 2024, “Why the World Must Support Armenia’s Defeated Democracy Against Russian Hybrid Warfare,” Conflict and Civicness Research Blog, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Areg Kochinyan, May 21, 2024, “Armenia Should Use This Window of Opportunity to Leave Russia’s Orbit,” Politika, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.