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Event
LINKS Europe webinar on the results of the Armenian elections
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LINKS Europe webinar on the results of the Armenian elections

12 June 2026
On Thursday (11 June), LINKS Europe held a webinar on the results of the Armenian Parliamentary elections and the role of social media and media during the election period, both in Armenian media and Russian media. The panel was formed by Eleonora Sargsyan, from Armenian Progressive Youth; Dennis Sammut, Director of LINKS Europe; Santiago Ferbel-Azcarate, Senior Research Assistant at LINKS Europe; and Will Murray, founder of Vigeat Europa. The panel was chaired by Alexandra Dumirescu, international coordinator at LINKS Europe. Ms. Sargsyan offered the audience an overall assessment of the election results and the overall political mood in the country. She explained that the key outcome of Armenia's 2026 parliamentary elections was a renewed mandate for continuity. Dr Sammut described the 2026 parliamentary elections as a good election that strengthened Armenia's democratic process and produced a clear result. Yet he identified three issues that require serious attention. The webinar moved on to two presentations. Mr Ferbel-Azcarate shared a presentation titled 'Social media usage and Armenia's 2026 election'. This was followed by a presentation on how the Russian media discussed the Armenian elections by Will Murray from Vigeat Europa. (To read the full summary of the webinar, click on the image above)
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Interview
Thursday Interview: Satu Koivu
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Thursday Interview: Satu Koivu

11 June 2026
Within a tumultuous peace and security environment in the South Caucasus, the European Union has over time established itself in multiple capacities. A network of financial, diplomatic, and security ties comprise the Union’s larger interests in working together with Armenia and Azerbaijan for the benefit of peace, security and stability in the region.  The European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) fulfils an active part in the EU’s contribution to the normalisation process in the South Caucasus. The monitors patrol the entire length of Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan from six Forward Operating Bases on the Armenian side. The Mission conducts both day and night patrols. Total staff of EUMA is over 200 international and national members who are working in different roles such as monitors and in supporting functions. One important task of the Mission is to build confidence among local border communities. Azerbaijan has repeatedly criticised EUMA, describing it as a “propaganda tool” used against Azerbaijan, and viewing the Mission’s presence on the Armenian side of the border with suspicion. In this final issue of Thursday Interview ahead of a summer recess, we speak to Ms. Satu Koivu, who has since March of this year served as Head of Mission for the European Union Mission in Armenia. HoM Koivu started her career in the Finnish police force, over time building a distinguished career in policing, crisis management, international peacekeeping, and security sector reform.  Before taking up her post in Armenia, she served as Senior Police Adviser and Head of Police Component in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. She has also held advisory and training roles in EU and UN policing missions and courses, including in Palestine, Rwanda, Kenya, and Finland. At the national level, she has held senior positions in the Finnish police, including as Assistant Police Commissioner and Chief of Human Resources Development at the National Police Board of Finland, where her work focused on capacity building, organisational development, police leadership, and professional standards. We speak to HoM Koivu about her professional life before taking up her post in Armenia, how EUMA fits into the region’s wider goal of peace and stability, the negative perception of the Mission in Azerbaijan, and what it means to build trust and confidence in a still fragile post-conflict environment. (To read the full interview, click on the image above)
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Satu Koivu

Focus on the South Caucasus

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Live blog
ARMENIAN ELECTIONS - webinair and live blog
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ARMENIAN ELECTIONS - webinair and live blog

14 May 2026
Monday, 8 June 2026 =================================================== AND THEN THERE WERE THREE Revised figures from the Armenian CEC has shown that the Prosperous Armenia party, has fallen short of the 4% threshold, and will therefore not be in the new Parliament. According to newly updates, Prosperous Armenia got 3.996 percent and is not passing the threshold. Thus Civil Contract will have 64 MPs, Strong Armenia alliance 29 MPs, and Armenia alliance 12 MPs FOUR PARTIES PASS THE THRESHOLD AND WILL BE REPRESENTED IN ARMENIAN  PARLIAMENT The Armenian Central Elections Commission has completed the counting of ballots for the parliamentary elections. The results of all 2005 polling stations have been calculated. The votes were distributed as follows: In the lead is the Civil Contract party, which received 727,160 votes or 49.81 percent. In second place is the "Strong Armenia" alliance of parties, which received exactly 23.29% (340,062 votes). The third place is occupied by the "Armenia" alliance of parties, which has 9.94% (145,097 votes). The Prosperous Armenia Party is in fourth place, garnering 4.00% (58,368 votes). The "Wings of Unity" party, which occupies fifth place, currently has 2.30% (33,618 votes). Accordingly, the minimum threshold is overcome by 4 political forces: the "Civil Agreement", the "Strong Armenia" alliance, the "Armenia" alliance, and the Prosperous Armenia Party. =================================================== Nikol Pashinyan, and his Civil Contract Party, have won the parliamentary elections held in Armenia on 7 June. Preliminary results from the Armenian Central Elections Commission show Civic Contract with 50.83% of the votes. As of now, (0500 am local time) the results of 1,354 polling stations have been summarized, with 864,643 voters. The votes so far are as follows: "Reformist Party" - 847 votes, 0.1 percent "I am against everyone" Democratic Party - 11,382 votes, 1.33 percent "Strong Armenia" alliance – 201,006 votes, 23.51 percent "Shonorable Party of Armenia" – 15,986 votes, 1.87 percent "New Force" reformist party – 13,109 votes, 1.53 percent "Wings of Unity" Party – 19,270 votes, 2.25 percent Prosperous Armenia Party – 35,074 votes, 4.10 percent "National Democratic Pole" Pan-Armenian Party – 2,997 votes, 0.35 percent "Kocharian National Revival and National Awakening Party" – 1,093 votes, 0.13 percent "Armenian National Congress" party – 1,759 votes, 0.21 percent "Republic" Party – 8 thousand 666 votes, 1.01 percent "Christian Democratic Party" – 1,484 votes, 0.17 percent Democratic Unity Party – 2,951 votes, 0.35 percent "Democracy, Law, Discipline" Party – 15,483 votes, 1.81 percent "Civil Contract" Party – 434,562 votes, 50.83 percent "Armenia" bloc – 80 thousand 937 votes, 9.47 percent "Alliance for the Defense of Democracy for the Republic" party – 3,973 votes, 0.46 percent "Bright Armenia" Party – 4,060 votes, 0.47 percent. =================================================== To read the blog, click the image above

Monday Commentary and Thursday Interview

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Interview
Thursday Interview: Stephen Gethins MSP
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Thursday Interview: Stephen Gethins MSP

21 May 2026
Stephen Gethins was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dundee City East in the 2026 election, after previously serving as Westminster MP for North East Fife and, later until this month, for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry. He has also worked extensively in international affairs, including on peace-building, arms control and democratisation in the South Caucasus and the Balkans, and was appointed Professor of Practice in International Relations at the University of St Andrews in 2019. Following the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May 2026, commonspace.eu spoke to the newly elected Scottish National Party MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) about Scotland’s relationship with Europe, the security implications of Brexit, and the challenges facing democratic societies at a time of war, disinformation, and geopolitical instability. (To read the full interview, click on the image above.)
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Stephen Gethins

Focus on Central Asia

Focus on Arabia

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Commentary
Gulf countries seek new security framework as war exposes the limitations of US guarantees
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Gulf countries seek new security framework as war exposes the limitations of US guarantees

21 April 2026
There appears to have been a shift in the calculus of the war, though it is not entirely clear whether it amounts to a turning point or merely a pause. Writing for Al Arabiya, political analyst Raghida Dergham observed that both Washington and Tehran appear to be buying time, studying strategic and tactical mistakes, repositioning militarily and politically, and seeking what she called “a warrior's pause”. Neither side emerged from the first round with a decisive outcome: Tehran's regime appears to remain intact, and Trump's objectives remain unmet. What is new, and what has been described as both intriguing and alarming, is that Trump briefly spoke of a US-Iranian partnership in generating revenue via the Strait of Hormuz before walking back on the idea due to pressure from European and Gulf allies. The remark, however fleeting, signals the unpredictability of the situation; a White House moving between maximum pressure and maximum uncertainty, with allies left to scrape for interpretation. Reminiscent of this fact, negotiations in Islamabad seem to have stalled, and Trump's decision to impose a blockade on Iran’s maritime trade has only further disrupted the landscape, even as Iran threatens to retaliate by targeting Gulf ports directly. (To read the full briefing, click on the image above.)
Written by Santiago Ferbel-Azcarate
Editor's choice
Analysis
Briefing: In the Gulf, the British “peace” ended sixty years ago, but the Saudi “peace” has not yet replaced it
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Briefing: In the Gulf, the British “peace” ended sixty years ago, but the Saudi “peace” has not yet replaced it

28 January 2026
Relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have in the last decade, been competitive. Led by two ambitious but visionary men – both named Mohammed: MBS – Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia; and MBZ – Mohammed bin Zayed, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the Emirates, the two Gulf neighbours embraced many aspects of modernity, and moved hurriedly to turn their countries into global vanguards", writes Dennis Sammut, in this Briefing for Arabia Concise. "Yet up to now, competition was kept within bounds. They cooperated closely in areas of security and presented a united front. They were on the same side when they confronted Qatar and in their opposition to the Houthis' takeover of Yemen. Yet problems had been brewing under the surface for a while, and in the last month they burst into the open." The relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been increasingly strained as a result of the different approaches of the two countries towards Yemen. The problems between Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are not new. The Kingdom was never happy with the existence of the smaller states on the Arabian peninsula, which, for most of the 20th century, had British “protection”. But the wisdom of MBZ’s father, Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the UAE, and the caution of MBS's uncles, who ruled Saudi Arabia, generally managed the problems outside the public eye. When the British peace ended abruptly in the 1960’s – the British ran out of money – many thought that the Saudi peace would replace it. Sixty years later, it still has not. not only in monetary terms, but also diplomatically. Saudi “Peace” may be tempting, but it comes at a price. The UAE remains vulnerable because of its size, demography and geography; Its wealth may protect it for a while, but it has its limits. The decision of the UAE to break ranks and recognise Israel may have endeared it to the United States. But many inside, as much as outside the country, are not convinced. (You can read the full Briefing by clicking the image above)
Dennis Sammut
LINKS Europe

commonspace.eu is an activity of LINKS Europe Foundation, an independent foundation based in The Hague, The Netherlands. We focus on issues related to European peace and security, Europe's neighbouring regions, including Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia; North Africa and the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. LINKS Europe is committed to contributing to a better future by increasing understanding of complex foreign policy issues, by promoting dialogue and confidence-building as tools for helping to resolve conflict, and by engaging citizens in the process of building peace and security on the basis of solidarity and mutual respect. Through commonspace.eu, we aim to provide insights and analysis on different topics in our area of interest and a platform for diverse opinions.

Read LINKS Europe's 2025 Annual Review here.

Editor's choice
News
New Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue: 42 Armenians and Azerbaijanis set out vision until 2040 in four landmark reports
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New Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue: 42 Armenians and Azerbaijanis set out vision until 2040 in four landmark reports

7 November 2025
The Thematic Groups for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue have produced four reports which set out a vision for relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, over the next 15 years. The reports cover four key areas: (1) Peace and Security; (2) Regional Connectivity; (3) Good Governance; and (4) Environment. 42 Armenians and Azerbaijanis were directly involved in preparing the reports as part of the Thematic Groups. Another thirty Armenians and Azerbaijanis contributed to the process. The Thematic Groups were an initiative of LINKS Europe within the framework of EU4Peace 3, a programme supported by the European Union. An ACTION COMMITTEE FOR A NEW ARMENIAN AZERBAIJANI DIALOGUE has now been established, made up of the Chair and Deputy Chairs of the four groups that produced and agreed on the reports. The members of the Action Committee are: Murad Muradov, Leonid Nersisian, Narek Minasyan, Fidan Namazova, Sargis Kharatyunyan, Nigar Gurbanli, Aghavni Kharatyunyan, and Ramazan Samadov.  The first co-chairs of the Action Committee, for the 1st eight month semester are Murad Muradov and Leonid Nersisian. The Action Committee is responsible for the dissemination of the four reports, their eventual updating, and for contributing to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue and Peace and regional co-operation. LINKS Europe has appointed a Special Advisor to the Action Committee and will provide the Secretariat. The committee will work until December 2027. (click to title to read more or to download the reports)
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Event
LFSC25: Yerevan meeting focuses on issues of landmines and remnants of war in Armenia and the South Caucasus
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LFSC25: Yerevan meeting focuses on issues of landmines and remnants of war in Armenia and the South Caucasus

25 November 2025
The meeting titled “The residue of conflict: Landmines and other remnants of war in the South Caucasus, and its victims” was held in Yerevan, Armenia, on Monday, 24 November 2025, in the framework of the 2025 regional campaign "Landmine Free South Caucasus" (LFSC25). Addressing the meeting, Mr Stepan Grigoryan, Chairman of the Armenian Analytical Center on Globalisation and Regional Cooperation, emphasized that the problem of landmines is mutual, and it exists in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. He argued that it is important in the peace process to address the humanitarian issues caused by landmines. In addition, he also stressed that it is important for experts to have conversations on the topic of demining, as often it is experts who begin the process that can then be taken further by governments. Stepan Grigoryan said he was happy to be collaborating with LINKS Europe on this important issue, and was glad to associate himself with the LFSC 25 appeal. Anahit Poghosyan, Adviser to the Secretary of the RA Security Council also spoke at the event. Ms Anahit Poghosyan said that the problem of landmines exists in Armenia, and that already around 800 people have been injured or killed due to landmine contamination. The border regions are highly affected, and around 200000 people live in proximity of contaminated areas. She stressed that landmine contamination is an important issue to solve. In addition, she added that Armenia remains committed to humanitarian principles and that experts have been involved in checking the contamination maps to ensure reliability. She ended on an important note that landmines undermine peace and development and pose a grave humanitarian situation in the region. (read more by clicking the image)