Political scientist: Azerbaijan-Armenia meeting in UAE opens new prospects for South Caucasus

The direct meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders in the United Arab Emirates opens new perspectives for the South Caucasus, Valeri Chechelashvili, the head of the Georgian Strategic Research Center, a prominent political scientist, said in his statement to Report.

According to the expert, the fact that the meeting was held not only with the heads of state but also with the participation of deputy prime ministers, foreign ministers, and other high-level representatives shows that the parties have seriously prepared for this meeting:

"This gives grounds to say that there is real progress towards a peace agreement. The most important thing is that the meeting took place in a bilateral format without mediators. This shows that the parties themselves now want to reach a direct agreement."

Valeri Chechelashvili believes that in some cases, mediators did not demonstrate objectivity and hindered the rapprochement of the parties:

"Now the parties are talking by relying on themselves and building mutual trust. This is the beginning of a new stage."

In his opinion, one of the most important aspects is that the meeting took place in a bilateral format. The political scientist believes it demonstrates that the parties can negotiate on their own and want to reach an agreement.

"There is no need for any mediator here. Because mediators often objectively hindered the rapprochement of the parties and slowed down the process."

Chechelashvili added that this meeting is also significant in terms of the formation of a trilateral cooperation format between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia in the South Caucasus:

"There is no alternative to this format. The region's strength lies in our unity. If we work as a trio, this will increase the attractiveness of the region."