Joint event at the German Bundestag with Candid Foundation and Restart Initiative Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin, Germany This year has seen an acceleration of Germany’s engagement with Armenia and Azerbaijan against the backdrop of renewed tensions between the two neighbouring countries following a fragile ceasefire brokered in late 2020. In March, Berlin hosted the visits of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. In June, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for the first time—together with French President Emmanuel Macron—participated in the peace negotiations facilitated by European Union Council President Charles Michel, on the margins of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Chisinău. President Michel expressed his intention to invite the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, and Germany to meet a second time in the margins of the next EPC summit in Granada in October. The ongoing crisis around the Lachin Corridor – which connects the Armenian populated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia – has stirred fear in European capitals of a new wave of displacement and war in the South Caucasus. As Azerbaijan and Armenia walk a thin line between war and stability: what weight can Germany add as a more active participant in the diplomatic process led by the EU? With its economic and political capital with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, how can Berlin play a greater role in supporting the journey of building a lasting peace? This roundtable, co-organized by the Candid Foundation, APRI Armenia and Restart Initiative will provide some answers to the role—expected or prepared for—that Germany can play in durably resolving the conflict between the neighbouring Caucasian countries. The event will be in English. Speakers: Michael Roth, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Bundestag (Introduction) Lara Setrakian, President, APRI Armenia, Yerevan Ahmad Alili, Director, Caucasus Policy Center, Baku Moderator: Leo Wigger, Associate Partner, Candid Foundation and Editor at zenith Magazine The Candid Foundation gGmbH is an independent non-profit organisation, which since its establishment in 2014, has developed into a privately chartered think tank and a dynamic project hub. We are based in Berlin, Germany, but remain sensitive to developments in the Middle East, Mediterranean, the South Caucasus and South Asia and other locations where our projects are focused. APRI Armenia: The Applied Policy Research Institute of Armenia (APRI Armenia) is a nonpartisan and independent think tank focused on advancing regional stability, sustainable prosperity, and civic engagement. Our programs and initiatives are oriented toward concrete problem-solving, addressing key challenges for the realization of Armenia’s, and ultimately the region’s, potential. Through its activities as a convener and collaborator APRI Armenia facilitates breakthrough ideas and multistakeholder initiatives for positive change in the region. APRI Armenia is an independent organization founded by the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), a trusted name in Armenian philanthropy for more than 115 years. Restart Initiative is a non-profit organization with the mission of building connections for economic, social and political development in the South Caucasus. We use our deep expertise in international development to identify opportunities for constructive engagement for peace in the region. Remarks by APRI Armenia President Lara Setrakian
