First Youth Forum launched in Syunik.
The Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute, in cooperation with the Max Planck Foundation, launched the ‘Youth’s Critical Perspective on the Peace Process‘ project with an inaugural youth forum on 22 July. Held in Syunik—an Armenian region bordering Azerbaijan—the forum engaged approximately 30 young people from various communities. Participants discussed the current state of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and Armenia-Turkey normalisation, exploring the associated challenges and future prospects.
The forum offered a platform to reflect on the current status of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process and Armenia-Turkey normalisation, exploring potential next steps and their impact on border communities. Security expert Sergei Minasyan and political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan provided a comprehensive analysis of recent developments, risks, and opportunities, while outlining potential future scenarios. This foundational briefing effectively prepared the participants for the subsequent group brainstorming sessions.
During the interactive portion of the forum, participants brainstormed their own perspectives on the next steps in the peace and normalisation processes. Their discussions focused heavily on border opening and management, the movement of goods and people, diplomatic relations, and cross-border trade. Based on these core pillars, each group formulated its own vision of peace, presented its findings to the plenary, and engaged in constructive debates over differing viewpoints.
The Goris forum created a safe, open environment for youth in Syunik to voice their concerns, raise pressing and often difficult questions, and share their perspectives on the regional peace and normalisation processes.