Armenia, Azerbaijan Hold High-Level Talks to Advance Regional Peace Negotiations

Local time June 14, Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, and Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, held closed-door high-level working talks in Dilijan, Armenia. They conducted in-depth consultations on core issues including a permanent bilateral peace treaty, border control, livelihood resettlement in Nagorno-Karabakh and the construction of cross-border transport corridors. The two sides finalised regular dialogue mechanisms and agreed to host the next round of high-level negotiations in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Over the past two days, Russia, Turkey, the European Union, the United States and other parties have continuously issued statements of concern. A regional supporting peace conference was held concurrently, and the trend of de-escalation in the South Caucasus has strengthened markedly.

This round of Dilijan talks represents the highest-level offline dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the broadest coverage of topics in recent times. Core diplomatic and security officials from both countries attended the meeting, thoroughly sorting out outstanding disputes over the peace treaty and exchanging written proposals. The consultations proceeded in a calm atmosphere with no public confrontational remarks, and phased consensus was reached on multiple practical issues.

On post-conflict livelihood and humanitarian affairs, the two sides agreed on a unified implementation plan for searching missing persons, repatriating the remains of fallen service members and protecting the rights and interests of residents in Nagorno-Karabakh. On June 15, Azerbaijan officially authorised the transit of multiple batches of medical and daily humanitarian supplies to Armenia, substantially easing cross-border livelihood barriers. The two sides also discussed resuming exchange visits between scholars, youth groups and civil society organisations, and plan to host a bilateral civil peace forum within the year to gradually bridge the public estrangement stemming from long-term conflict.

The Zangezur cross-border transport corridor, a focal point of regional attention, stood as a core economic topic of the talks. The two sides held item-by-item discussions on corridor access rights, tariff coordination, transit security guarantees and international capital docking. They unanimously recognised that connectivity serves as the economic cornerstone for long-term regional peace, and resolved to deliver actionable implementation rules during the next round of talks in Baku to open up transport links connecting Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Two long-term communication mechanisms were finalised at the meeting: first, the security secretaries of the two countries will launch a monthly online communication channel to promptly handle minor border frictions and prevent conflict escalation; second, a rotation rule for alternating high-level reciprocal visits was established. The next round of negotiations at the same level will take place in Baku, and the foreign ministries of both sides will finalise the meeting schedule, agenda and attendee list within one week. Both sides stressed that direct bilateral negotiations constitute the sole core channel to resolve historical disputes between the two nations, rejecting unilateral external dominance over regional reconciliation processes.

In parallel with the high-level talks, Azerbaijan hosted an international conference on South Caucasus peacebuilding in Shusha on June 15, attended by representatives from the United Nations, the OSCE, numerous foreign diplomats and parliamentarians. Azerbaijan put forward an initiative for the demilitarisation of the South Caucasus at the event, advocating integration of national development interests via cross-border infrastructure, energy trade and regional logistics to build a long-term regional security framework. The conference also referenced the cooperation framework under the Shusha Declaration, sending an inclusive and open signal on regional collaboration.

Following the disclosure of the Dilijan talks, major global stakeholders issued successive public statements. While all parties voiced support for independent negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, their geopolitical priorities diverge noticeably. Nikolai Naryshkin, Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, acknowledged the positive significance of bilateral dialogue while warning Armenia against the strategic risks of over-reliance on Western security mechanisms. Russia hopes to retain a trilateral coordination channel to participate in regional security and transport affairs. Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, called for reduced unilateral external intervention to maintain the geopolitical balance of the South Caucasus.

On the EU side, Armenia’s Foreign Minister held working meetings with EU officials in Luxembourg during the same period. The EU pledged EUR 50 million in special economic assistance, continuing to provide diplomatic mediation and post-conflict reconstruction funding for Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks while accelerating Armenia’s European integration agenda. Turkey, Azerbaijan’s traditional strategic partner, voiced full support for the current pace of bilateral dialogue and stands ready to provide supporting cooperation in economy, trade and infrastructure. Ankara also plans an upcoming visit to Moscow to coordinate Russian-Turkish positions on the South Caucasus.

The United States has ramped up its regional outreach. On June 15, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister met representatives of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, with Washington prioritising overseas financing for the Trans-Caucasus Transport Corridor. The move aims to boost U.S. presence in Caspian energy and regional cross-border logistics to counterbalance Russia’s influence over Eurasian transport networks.

From the perspective of regional multilateral architecture, both Armenia and Azerbaijan are dialogue partners of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and have submitted applications to upgrade to full member states. The ongoing bilateral reconciliation will remove major obstacles for the SCO to deepen its footprint in the South Caucasus and establish an integrated cooperation corridor linking Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Though Georgia has not yet applied for full SCO membership, it continuously participates in SCO forums on connectivity and closely monitors dividends from regional cooperation.

Geopolitical analysts note that while Armenia and Azerbaijan still hold differing stances on sensitive clauses including border demarcation and corridor sovereignty, three positive factors — regularised dialogue channels, delivered humanitarian measures and multilateral peace platforms — have combined to create the most stable peace window for the South Caucasus in a decade. The upcoming round of talks in Baku will address the most contentious core provisions of the peace treaty, and its outcomes will directly shape regional security dynamics and Eurasian economic integration for years to come.

Countries across the region and international multilateral organisations will continue to track the progress of Armenia-Azerbaijan bilateral negotiations. All relevant parties broadly expect the two states to build on the Dilijan meeting, sustain willingness for dialogue, resolve differences through equal consultations, and lay the groundwork for stability, connectivity and shared development across the South Caucasus via a permanent peace treaty.

Media outlets and industrial institutions are welcome to discuss in-depth news contributions and joint special feature planning covering international regional affairs.