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Akbar Novruz

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As the COP29 climate conference draws near, Azerbaijan's role as the host brings the South Caucasus region into the spotlight. With this international platform centered around climate and sustainability, the region’s political tensions risk overshadowing environmental agendas. Among these, Armenia’s internal conflicts reveal the challenges it faces in promoting peace and regional cooperation. While Armenia’s government has indicated intentions to attend COP29, powerful voices within the country seem bent on rekindling historical grievances rather than seeking constructive dialogue.

Just weeks before COP29, H.H. Catholicos Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians initiated a campaign of prayers, urging global attention to Armenian hostages and those displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. By invoking historic claims over the region, the patriarch’s call for a “global prayer” stirs memories of unresolved grievances and a lingering call for resistance. His request for a day of prayer on November 10 seeks to unite Christian communities and international organizations in advocating for peace and support for refugees. However, his rhetoric often hints at a more nationalistic agenda, suggesting that “Artsakh can never be the past for us,” which reinforces the idea of ongoing claims over the territory once occupied by Armenia.

This is indeed not surprising. Considering how Pashinyan once used these vandals, gun-holding revanchists as his tool for provocation against Azerbaijan. Yet this tool became so strong as a result of this government joining the revanchist forces, that Armenia is currently facing such a division within itself. It is the result of the Pashinyan government giving authority to these forces and not taking action against these people after the second Garabagh war and anti-terrorist measures.

Yet this focus on faith and tradition contrasts sharply with the government’s stated intentions for peace. By emphasizing unresolved struggles, religious leaders in Armenia challenge the government’s position, risking further polarization within Armenian society. This divergence is not new, yet the timing is crucial. As COP29 provides an unprecedented opportunity for Armenia to engage with its neighbors on shared challenges, the opposition’s conflicting stance risks undermining any chance of reconciliation. The government’s intent to attend COP29 could be seen as a positive step toward building trust in the region, yet the likes of Dashnaksutyun ARF and religious factions’ demands for action against Azerbaijan show Armenia’s enduring internal conflicts.

Regional Implications: Azerbaijan’s vision and Armenia’s conundrum

Azerbaijan, which will host COP29, has consistently emphasized its desire for a peaceful South Caucasus. President Ilham Aliyev has extended several invitations for regional cooperation, most notably through projects like the Middle Corridor and green energy initiatives aimed at bolstering economic ties across the region. For Azerbaijan, regional peace is not just a diplomatic goal but a pragmatic economic opportunity that could benefit Armenia as well. However, Armenia’s internal divisions cast doubt on its ability to engage in such partnerships fully. The Armenian government’s engagement with COP29 has symbolic value: it represents an openness to dialogue and cooperation. But as long as religious and opposition factions continue to focus on past grievances, Armenia risks isolating itself from the economic opportunities Azerbaijan offers. For Armenia, the question now is whether it can bridge its internal divides and participate meaningfully in regional initiatives that could benefit its economy and strengthen its role in the South Caucasus.

The choice is as clear as the sky above our head, Armenia can either seize the opportunity to work toward peace and prosperity or remain shackled by the unresolved tensions of its past!