Tazeen Akhtar
The third round of Peace Bridge Initiative between the civil society in a broader group of participants from both sides. Representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia , the two rivals in South Caucasus having fought two wars of Karabakh kicked off on 10 April in Azerbaijan to be continued till 12 April.
The delegations cross the land border at a delimited and demarcated section, having completed all relevant procedures. They spend time to understand one another as confidence building measures CBMs facilitated by both sides. Neighbors can not be changed and living together with the Live and Let Live approach is the center point of this initiative.
Mentionable here is , Pakistan India experienced this initiative in the first decade of the new millennium but it failed. Noteworthy here is, Armenia is a partner of India in military matters while Azerbaijan enjoys close cooperation with Pakistan in all spheres including defence.
Peace Bridge is an initiative started in Feb this year, driven by the August 8, 2025, Washington Declaration, a US-brokered agreement initiated at the White House, when President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the deal in the presence of President Donald Trump.
This framework is aimed to formally end the 30-year conflict, establish diplomatic relations, and pave the way for regional connectivity projects by bringing together the civil society and promote direct discussions and contacts to normalise the relations
As shared on various forums by both sides , the participants try to build an understanding on the emerging regional security architecture, the benefits of peace, public perceptions of the intersocietal relations, prospects for economic cooperation, and the role of civil society in promoting mutual understanding and confidence-building.
First Peace Bridge was constructed on February 13-14, 2026, when a bilateral roundtable was held in Armenia. Second such interaction was held in the second half of March 2026 in Azerbaijan and now the third is again taking place in Azerbaijan for which the Armenian delegation arrived.
As far as Azerbaijan is concerned, the government implements the recommendations of the participants. There is no information regarding that from the Armenian side.
Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan
As some participants and some experts privy to the affairs researched, the CBMs largely failed to produce lasting peace due to deep rooted mistrust, recurring terrorist attacks, the intractable Jammu Kashmir conflict and a lack of political will. These efforts are frequently undermined by border hostilities, hostile media narratives, and internal political pressures, rendering them ineffective at transforming the long-term conflict.
Armenia Azerbaijan Case
Azerbaijan states strongly that no Nagorno Karabakh conflict exists now but still there are matters of high importance to be addressed for stable and long lasting peace between two angry neighbors.
After Washington Deal, two major obstacles are still to be removed for real CBMs between formerly two arch rivals ; 1- Elimination of the clauses in Armenian constitution about the ownership of Karabakh lands 2- Sharing the exact and complete maps of land mines Armenia installed in Azerbaijani newly liberated territories before the illegal occupants were pushed back from the Azerbaijani territories.
The question is, how can confidence be built when one party is not cooperating on two major conflicting issues. Armenia has not convened any session of the Parliament to do the needful on what was agreed in White House. More than 3,400 Azerbaijani citizens have been killed or injured by landmines planted by Armenia over the past three decades. Since the 2020 ceasefire, over 400 people have been killed or injured, including civilians, journalists, and deminers, with casualties frequently occurring in former conflict zones.
Conclusion
In Pakistan, there is a saying, ” The Clap is always with Two Hands “. Here in the Armenia Azerbaijan case , we have observed in our work on the conflict during the last decades that only Azerbaijan is prepared and positive in resolution of the conflict and related issues for peace building. Armenia sits on the negotiation table only after it faces humiliating defeat following her misadventures or some third party like Russia persuades her to hold talks with Azerbaijan.
In this state of affairs and mindset from the Armenian side, we are looking forward to the success of the Peace Building Initiative as it is a continuous process and one should not attach big expectations from one or two or three rounds of negotiations. We wish and we are waiting to see a rey of hope at the end of the tunnel.
