Karel LANNOO: “We Europeans are happy that Armenia wants to join the EU – we will do all we can to bring them in”

16.05.2026 (Caucasian Journal). The Caucasian Journal’s guest today is Karel LANNOO, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), one of Europe’s most influential and highly-ranked think tanks. Mr. Lannoo has led CEPS since 2000, and is a regular voice in European Parliament hearings and major policy debates. 

He has recently returned from Yerevan, where he participated in discussions at the eighth European Political Community summit and the Yerevan Dialogue.

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“Visegrad Lessons” Project Successfully Completed: What Can the South Caucasus Learn from Central Europe?

13.05.2026 (Caucasian Journal). After several months of discussions and expert exchanges, the project Visegrad Lessons has been successfully completed.

The initiative brought together nearly 40 experts from Central Europe and the South Caucasus — including diplomats, researchers, civil society leaders, journalists, and policy specialists — to examine an increasingly important question: Can countries continue practical cooperation even when politics become deeply polarized?

The answer from many participants was clear: Yes, if cooperation is built around practical interests rather than political unanimity.

The project explored how the experience of the Visegrad countries — the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary — may offer useful lessons for Georgia and the wider South Caucasus. We are thankful to the International Visegrad Fund, Arnika, EUROPEUM, Visegrad Insight, and the Central European Forum for support.

 

Breakthrough or Bypass? The Quiet Transit Rivalry Reshaping the South Caucasus

01.05.2026 (Caucasian Journal). Our Op-Ed contributor for today is Anna VARDANYAN, a political journalist and researcher based in Yerevan. She specializes in international relations and security policy within the context of Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. Ms. Vardanyan has served as a media advisor to the Vice President of the Armenian Parliament and as an accredited journalist at the Constitutional Court of Armenia. Her academic background includes research at Heidelberg University and the University of Warsaw, where she was the recipient of the prestigious Tytus Filipowicz Academic Award.  

As with all Op-Ed articles, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. You are welcome to share your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages. If you are interested in contributing an article for publication, please feel free to contact the Caucasian Journal.

Breakthrough or Bypass? The Quiet Transit Rivalry Reshaping the South Caucasus

by Anna VARDANYAN

Infrastructure, sovereignty, and the fragile architecture of peace in the South Caucasus

The South Caucasus stands, once again, at a geopolitical inflection point. In the aftermath of the 2020 war and subsequent shifts in the regional balance of power, Armenia and Azerbaijan are navigating a tense and uncertain path toward normalization. Among the most debated proposals shaping this trajectory are competing visions of regional connectivity—often framed in policy and media discourse as the “Trump Corridor” and the “Peace Bridge.”