At a time when the world’s attention is divided between battlefields and backroom diplomacy, the resumption of Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul has once again turned Turkey into a key arena for international negotiations – with ripple effects reaching the South Caucasus.
The new round of discussions, mediated by the United States and hosted by Turkey, marks the first face-to-face contact between Russian and Ukrainian envoys in nearly two years.
Analysts say the choice of Istanbul is not coincidental: the city has increasingly become a crossroads of global diplomacy, where issues ranging from the Middle East to the Caucasus intersect.
Political analyst Nariman Aliyev from Baku noted that for Azerbaijan, Turkey’s growing diplomatic role is both natural and welcome.
“We’re glad that Turkey has become a center for international dialogue,” he said, adding that the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv is of deep concern to Baku – not only because of the region’s strategic balance, but also because many Azerbaijanis have ties and even family members on both sides of the war.
From Yerevan, political scientist Lilit Dallakyan offered a more cautious perspective, arguing that the talks may serve more as “a political signal than a breakthrough.”
She pointed out that neither President Vladimir Putin nor Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is participating directly, which limits expectations of tangible outcomes.
“We shouldn’t expect dramatic progress,” she said. “This is as much about image as it is about negotiation.”
Both experts agreed that the war’s evolution – and the broader diplomatic game – could eventually reshape dynamics in the South Caucasus.
Dallakyan believes Russia’s leverage in the region depends on how the talks unfold, while Aliyev insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia should now rely primarily on bilateral dialogue, free from excessive outside mediation.
“We don’t need intermediaries,” he said. “Both countries are sovereign and capable of solving their issues directly.”
The discussion, aired jointly by CivilNet and Press Club TV, highlighted a rare moment of open dialogue between Armenian and Azerbaijani experts on regional peace and the shifting balance of global power.
Despite differences in tone, both guests agreed on one point: the path to peace – whether in Eastern Europe or the South Caucasus – still runs through difficult, often unpredictable terrain.
