There are hopes for lasting dialogue between Azerbaijani, Armenian civil societies, Farhad Mamadov says

Following the recent meeting in Washington, a certain level of joint activity has already been established between Azerbaijan and Armenia, said Farhad Mammadov, Director of the Center for South Caucasus Studies (CSCS), in a statement to Report.

Mammadov, who took part in a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian civil society representatives held in Yerevan, noted that both governments contributed to organizing the event:

"For the first time since the conflict, an Azerbaijan Airlines plane landed in the Armenian capital. Many issues were discussed during the meeting. Although we occasionally meet Armenian experts at international events, this dialogue was conducted strictly in a bilateral format, without any third party"s initiative or organizational involvement," he said.

According to Mammadov, the atmosphere following the August 8 meeting in Washington has encouraged mutual steps between the governments:

"A certain degree of cooperation has been achieved. The current historical conditions make it important to organize discussions at the level of civil society, experts, and media. There is hope that this bilateral format will continue and that such meetings will become a norm," he added.

On October 22, a bilateral roundtable was held in Yerevan with the participation of civil society representatives from both countries, initiated by expert communities from Armenia and Azerbaijan and supported by official structures. Armenian participants included Areg Kochinyan, Boris Navasardyan, Naira Sultanyan, Narek Minasyan, and Samvel Meliksetyan, while the Azerbaijani side was represented by Farhad Mammadov, Rusif Huseynov, Ramil Isgandarli, Kamala Mammadova, and Dilara Afandiyeva.