Azerbaijani, Armenian, Turkish academics come together in a new journal

An Ankara-based academic journal that aims to discuss policy-making in the Caucasus launched its first issue Friday with articles from Armenian and Russian experts, as well as Azeri and Turkish academics.

“’Caucasus International’ will focus on a global or regional theme and include perspectives from different countries and backgrounds,” said the executive editor of the journal, Zaur Shiriyev. “Our main goal is to foster an intellectual forum for contemplative dialogue and meaningful involvement in as broad a community as possible.”

The first issue of the journal, founded by the Ankara-based Eurasian Association of Scientists in collaboration with the Baku-based Center for Strategic Studies, or CSS, probes deeply into the complexity of conflict resolution in the Caucasus with important academics contributing to the journal on that topic, Shiriyev said.

In the maiden issue, the head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Dr. Ramiz Mehdiyev, examined the Caucasus’ role after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, focusing in particular on Azerbaijan’s position and how the existing geopolitical environment and the local states’ strategies and objectives complicated the chances for cooperation among groups with divergent interests.

In an exclusive interview for the journal, the chief executive officer and founder of STRATFOR, Dr. George Friedman, talked about the background of the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

The chairman of the board of the Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation in Armenia, Dr. Stepan Grigoryan, also analyzed the challenges to Armenia’s security in the region for the first issue.


/Hurriyet Daily News/