One of the Azerbaijani NGO chairmen who visited Yerevan on October 21-22 - Farhad Mammadov, head of the South Caucasus Research Center, shared his impressions.
According to Modern.az, F. Mammadov stated that he participated in a meeting of civil society, expert community, and media representatives in the Armenian capital.
He recalled that the official structures of Azerbaijan and Armenia created conditions for this meeting to be held in a bilateral format.
“For the first time in many years, an Azerbaijani plane landed at Zvartnots airport – this is a detail that could soon become the norm in bilateral relations.
It is no secret that Azerbaijani and Armenian experts periodically meet within the framework of various projects and international events. However, this time all details were discussed bilaterally: from the flight of the Azerbaijani plane to Yerevan to the preparation of the program, the text of the press release, and other issues on the agenda. This is very important for the peace agenda, as independently organized meetings create additional accountability and impetus for the peace process,” F. Mammadov said.
According to him, the Joint Declaration signed in Washington on August 8 created a framework for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia:
“Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are taking steps to consolidate the achievements made and expand the level of relations. This is not an easy path, as there is no external sponsor; all work is carried out bilaterally. Governments have already created enough content to involve civil society representatives in the peace process. There is a commitment to long-term peace and stability!”
F. Mammadov stated that the meeting in Yerevan was organized at a high level, security was ensured, and a wide range of issues were discussed, from the geopolitics of the region to topics concerning our societies. The goals of the parties and potential joint activities were discussed.
“It was certainly interesting to see everything you learn and see from media outlets every day, to walk around Yerevan. During the walk, I even met a journalist I recognized from television...
Yes, insults and outrage are voiced on some Armenian websites... Some Azerbaijani websites express opinions that it is impossible to reach an agreement. This is normal in the current period; much work still needs to be done for societies to get used to the governments' peace agenda. Decisions are made at the official level for the process to move forward, and if conditions exist at this historical moment for the situation to stabilize and lasting peace to be established, then these should be utilized!”, F. Mammadov noted.
