“The Bridge of Peace” Is Not About Denying the Past, but About Creating New Opportunities, Kochinyan Says

YEREVAN — Meetings within the “Bridge of Peace” initiative have been organized in a “5+5” format. Initially, Azerbaijani representatives visited Yerevan, after which the Armenian side traveled to Baku with a five-member delegation.

At a later stage, participation expanded significantly, and the meetings have since continued in a “20+20” format, according to Areg Kochinyan, president of the Armenian Council analytical center and coordinator of the initiative.

According to him, the latest visit was already carried out through a delimited and demarcated border section, with all border procedures completed, including passport and customs control. The Armenian delegation’s visit to Baku was organized in the same format.

Areg Kochinyan emphasized that this is already the fourth meeting in this format, and there is a clear agreement to continue the dialogue.

In his assessment, although it is unrealistic to expect major breakthroughs given the decades-long conflict, the continued existence of such contacts is in itself a significant achievement.

“We can list many reasons why such visits should not take place. However, there is one important reason why they must happen: they help advance the peace agenda and foster mutual understanding between the two societies,” he said.

According to Areg Kochinyan, both the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities communicate during these meetings that peace already exists between the two countries and is currently in a phase of deepening and expansion.

Addressing criticism, he stressed that the initiative does not seek to erase or revise the past. Rather, the “Bridge of Peace” is aimed at creating new opportunities and new approaches alongside the existing historical narrative and public discourse.

He also noted that efforts toward peace are not guaranteed to succeed, but in the absence of such work, peace would simply remain impossible.