Unlocking The Economic Benefits of Peace and Building Local Community Resilience in the South Caucasus

This policy brief presents four interconnected policy areas to foster sustainable peace and cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. These policy areas include (1) building multi-layered institutional dialogue mechanisms, (2) prioritising the needs of densely populated border areas in border-making efforts, (3) restoring bilateral and regional connectivity lines, and (4) connecting multiple layers of society to advance reconciliation.

These policy options address critical challenges and opportunities, focusing on inclusive and human-centered strategies. Together, they aim to provide actionable recommendations that promote trust, cooperation, and long-term stability in the region. Implementing these options would establish platforms for government representatives, experts, and civil society organisations to collaborate through technical and economic communication channels. This aims to promote mutual understanding,  build  confidence,  and  advance  reconciliation  through  joint problem-solving efforts.

In an environment where an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace agreement seems closer than at any other time in the history of this conflict, this joint paper for Armenia and Azerbaijan aims to present a set of recommendations that offer practical advice with the hope of implementation. The objective is to facilitate practical Armenian- Azerbaijani  dialogue  and  promote  collaborative  deliberation  on  common challenges. These recommendations cover a wide range of topics, from economic development to day-to-day conflict management, and from water resource management to regional connectivity.

The Policy Brief concludes by highlighting the key insights from the policy discussion.