On October 21–22, a roundtable discussion was held in Yerevan between representatives of civil society and expert communities from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The event was organized through a joint initiative of non-governmental organizations from both countries and supported by their respective official structures. According to a statement from the Center for Security Policy Studies, Armenia’s Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan also met with the participants.
One of the Azerbaijani attendees was Dilara Efendiyeva, known for her participation in the blockade of the Lachin corridor, according to fact-checking platform FIP.am .
Efendiyeva had personally joined the roadblock cutting off the corridor that connected Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, acting under the pretense of environmental activism. During that time, the Health Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh reported that critically ill patients could not be transported to Yerevan due to the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, in a December 2022 video, Efendiyeva claimed that the group was ready to allow passage for medical emergencies. However, FIP.am had already refuted her statement, presenting evidence that patients in critical condition were deprived of adequate healthcare due to the illegal actions of Efendiyeva and other so-called “eco-activists” who participated in the blockade.
On October 22, Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan met with members of Azerbaijani civil society who took part in the roundtable discussion hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. The dialogue focused on advancing the peace agenda.
