Official: South Caucasus changes could open “new era” for Europe

Recent political and geopolitical changes in the South Caucasus could usher in a new era not only for Azerbaijan and Armenia but also for Europe, Dennis Sammut, director of the LINKS Europe Foundation, said in Baku.

Speaking at a roundtable organised by the Centre for Analysis of International Relations and Multiculturalism and the LINKS Europe Foundation, Sammut said developments in the region were creating new opportunities for relations between the South Caucasus and Europe, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

"Azerbaijan has regained control over the Karabakh region, and achieving peace with Armenia is becoming increasingly real. This is a new era for Azerbaijan and Armenia, for the entire South Caucasus. However, and I want to emphasise this particularly, these changes also open a new epoch for Europe," he stated.

Sammut said the timing of the roundtable, which focused on relations between Europe and Azerbaijan, was particularly significant given the changes underway in the region.

He described the event as a potential starting point for a renewed relationship between Azerbaijan and Europe, based on greater strategic alignment and clearly defined objectives.

"We are ready for these new relations," he emphasised.

Reflecting on his long-standing engagement with Azerbaijan, Sammut said he first visited the country in 1996.

He noted that Azerbaijan had changed significantly over the past three decades, recalling that the Karabakh conflict had been a dominant issue in the country's political life and had deeply affected public consciousness for many years.

By Sabina Mammadli