At the World Economic Forum’s “Defining Eurasia’s Economic Identity” panel on 20 January 2026, leaders from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Serbia discussed how the South Caucasus and wider Eurasian region can strengthen economic ties, peace and geopolitical stability amid shifting global influence.
Among the participants of the session were Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Armenia’s President Vahagn Khachaturyan and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić, alongside business and policy representatives.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev underscored the historic nature of the peace process with Armenia, describing the 2025 Joint Declaration signed in Washington as a landmark achievement that brought an end to more than three decades of conflict.
"It was a historical achievement last August when two countries initialed a peace agreement, thus putting an end to three decades plus of war and bloodshed," the Azerbaijani President said.
He stressed the uniqueness of the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal since it was signed less than in two years after the last clash.
President Aliyev highlighted that peace is beginning to translate into practical economic cooperation, with strategic cargo, including petroleum products, now moving from Azerbaijan to Armenia, and that Armenia has requested transit through Azerbaijan to Russia, signalling expanding trade links.
He also stressed the importance of national responsibility in global affairs.
“We should no longer rely on international institutions… However, I do not share… pessimistic views. Because if we bring the situation under control and take sufficient responsibility regarding our national interests, then the success of the peoples is possible.”
President Ilham Aliyev emphasised Azerbaijan’s political sovereignty and diversified partnerships, noting agreements with ten EU states, a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and discussions on a strategic charter with the United States.
President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan also welcomed the normalisation progress, stressing that the current situation is unprecedented.
“Peace is not a normal situation for us… we are living in a situation we have not seen for more than 30 years," he said.
President Khachaturyan described existing cargo transport via Georgia as a symbol of evolving cooperation and said that direct transport links between Baku and Yerevan will help overcome problems that arose in the 1990s, enhancing regional economic integration.
He expressed confidence that, in the future, Armenia will be able to receive cargo from Azerbaijan directly via local railways.
Serbian President Vučić added that smaller states in Eurasia must work together to protect their sovereignty while building influence, calling Azerbaijan and Armenia “friendly countries” and advocating cooperation on innovation, AI and defence.
Panel discussions also touched on the strategic role of the South Caucasus as a bridge between Europe and Asia and the importance of transport connectivity and economic integration in shaping Eurasia’s identity in an increasingly multipolar world.
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The U.S. military's Central Command said on Tuesday that Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in its retaliatory attacks throughout the Middle East so far.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose a full U.S. trade embargo on Spain on Tuesday after the European and NATO ally refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
An Israeli strike on a four-storey residential building has killed at least four people and wounded six others in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek with rescue teams working to pull families from beneath the rubble, state news agency NNA said on Wednesday.
Kazakhstan has vowed to speed up its investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crash near Aktau, as mounting diplomatic pressure and geopolitical tensions push the disaster further into the international spotlight.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
The U.S. military's Central Command said on Tuesday that Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in its retaliatory attacks throughout the Middle East so far.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose a full U.S. trade embargo on Spain on Tuesday after the European and NATO ally refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
An Israeli strike on a four-storey residential building has killed at least four people and wounded six others in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek with rescue teams working to pull families from beneath the rubble, state news agency NNA said on Wednesday.
The widening war between Iran, U.S. and Israel is leaving civilians and soldiers caught in its wake. Thousands are stranded across the Gulf, flights are grounded, and Washington has confirmed the first American troops killed as fears grow of further casualties.
Seven opposition parties in Georgia have formed a coordinated alliance ahead of upcoming elections, saying it aims to challenge the dominance of the ruling Georgian Dream party. The government has dismissed the move as a rebranding of familiar political figures.
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