Baku — September 4, 2025
Armenian commentator Ishkhan Berdyan, speaking on the (Russian-language) YouTube channel Daily Europe Online, weighed in on the SCO summit, the end of the Minsk Group, and Armenia’s room for maneuver between major powers and neighbors.
SCO: more optics than outcomes
Berdyan sees the latest SCO photo-ops as symbolic. Beijing’s economic first, low-drama style sets the tone: connectivity over confrontation, while advancing China’s interests. He also notes Turkey is a dialogue partner/observer—not a member—which matters for reading the summit’s limits.
Why Europe can’t ignore the Caucasus
With sea lanes shakier and Europe short on resources, overland Eurasian trade will matter more, he argues. That puts the South Caucasus—and the Middle Corridor—on Europe’s must-deal-with list for China–EU flows.
Minsk Group era is over
The OSCE Minsk Group’s dissolution ends the last thread keeping the “Karabakh file” on distant agendas, Berdyan says. Expect the issue to fade in world capitals and decisions to shift to regional players.
Armenia’s safest path: balance, not rupture
Berdyan warns against sharp breaks with Russia given Armenia’s economic and food-security exposure. A sudden rupture could mean price shocks and market loss. The realistic course: keep working ties with Moscow while normalizing with neighbors.
Normalization with Baku and Ankara
Prosperity runs through open borders and practical cooperation with Azerbaijan and Turkey, he argues. That requires honest, equal-terms dialogue—and dropping maximalist rhetoric at home. He notes rising public satisfaction with day-to-day governance and urges a focus on tangible improvements.
