Impediments to Security in the South Caucasus

The IISS in partnership with the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SAM) on Friday 20^th November convened a conference in Baku, Azerbaijan on “Impediments to Security in the South Caucasus”.  The event brought together over 200 delegates including parliamentarians, members of the presidential administration, the diplomatic community and international experts. It was widely featured in the local and regional media.

 The conference sought to generate policy-relevant analysis for the resolution of entrenched conflicts in the South Caucasus, including those between Russia and Georgia, and Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.  Another focal point of the conference was the region’s importance to energy security and the energy supply infrastructure serving wider international markets. The role and interests of major powers surrounding the region were also addressed in detail.

Conference Programme

09:30 – 10:00 REGISTRATION

10:00 – 10:30 OPENING REMARKS

• Chair: Dr. Elkhan Nuriyev, Director, Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of  Azerbaijan

• Mr. Adam Ward, Director of Studies, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK

• Dr. Elnur Aslanov, Head, Political Analysis and Information Department, Administration of the President of Republic of Azerbaijan
• Dr. Ziyafat Asgerov, First Deputy Chairman, Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan

10:30 – 11:45 FIRST PLENARY SESSION - PROTRACTED REGIONAL CONFLICTS: PROSPECTS FOR PEACE

• Chair: Dr. Elkhan Nuriyev, Director, Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

• Ms. Oksana Antonenko, Senior Fellow, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK

• Mr. Vladimir Socor,  Senior Fellow, The Jamestown Foundation, USA

• Dr. Archil Gegeshidze, Senior Fellow, Georgian Foundation for Strategic Studies and International Studies, Georgia

Discussion

11:45-12:00 Coffee Break

12:00-13:15 SECOND PLENARY SESSION -  EAST-WEST ENERGY CORRIDOR: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

• Chair: Dr. Elie Krakowski, Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins University, USA

• Dr. Ariel Cohen, Senior Research Fellow, Heritage Foundation, USA

• Dr. Irnerio Seminatore, President, European Institute for International Relations, Belgium

• Mr. Elshad Nasirov, Vice President, State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Discussion

13:15-13:30 SIGN-UP FOR BREAK OUT GROUPS

13:30-14:30 Lunch

14:30-15:45 SIMULTANEOUS BREAK OUT GROUPS

Group 1: The Impact of Energy Projects on Stability and Security in the South Caucasus

• Chair: Dr. Andrew Kuchins, Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, USA

• Rapporteur: Mr. Alexandros Petersen, Associate Director, Eurasian Energy Center, The Atlantic Council of the United States, USA

Group 2: Regional Conflicts: Search for New Approaches

• Chair: Ms. Oksana Antonenko, Senior Fellow, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK

• Rapporteur: Dr. Gulshan Pashayeva, Head, Foreign Policy Analysis Department, Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Group 3: South Caucasus and the EU: From Cooperation to New Forms of Integration

Chair: Dr. Sabine Fischer, Research Fellow, The European Union Institute for Security Studies, France

Rapporteur: Dr. Udo Steinbach, Honorary Professor, University of Hamburg, Germany

15:45-16:00 Coffee Break

16:00–17:30 THIRD PLENARY SESSION  - SOUTH CAUCASUS AND ITS NEIGHBORS: CAN A WIDER REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR PEACE AND COOPERATION BE ESTABLISHED?

• Chair: Mr. Adam Ward, Director of Studies, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK

• Dr. Mustafa Aydin, Professor, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Turkey

• Dr. Chernyavskiy Stanislav, Director, Center for Post-soviet studies, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russia

• Dr. Mehdi Sanaei, Head, Russian an Eastern European Department, Tehran University, Iran

Discussion

17:30-18:00 Plenary Presentation by Rapporteurs

18:00-18:30 Closing Remarks