IDM and Topchubashov Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding
At IDM, we have long worked on questions of regional cooperation, European integration and the political and economic transformations shaping Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Our focus has always been on regions that sit at the intersection of larger geopolitical dynamics. Regions that are not only shaped by external forces but actively shape Europe’s future themselves.
Today, we deliberately extended this perspective beyond our core geographic focus to begin a collaboration with the Topchubashov Center from Baku. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between our two organisations, in line with IDM’s priority to contribute to exchanges across borders, to get to know other regions and improve the understanding of our partners on Central European dynamics.
To kick off this cooperation, the IDM co-organised with the Topchubashov Center a closed-door discussion entitled “The South Caucasus in Transition: Connectivity, Regional Cooperation, and European Perspectives”. The discussion, moderated by IDM Research Associate Ninon Bouteloup, featured Rusif Huseynov Director of the Topchubashov Center, Federica Mangiameli, Senior Programme Manager at GLOBSEC and Sebastian Schäffer, IDM Director. The exchanges focused on the current developments in the South Caucasus in relation to the international conflicts happening at its doorsteps, the crackdown on human rights and civil liberties as well as the relative foreign policy neutrality of the region. The discussion drew parallels between the South Caucasus and the Danube region exploring the common challenges but also opportunities for further cooperation.
You can watch the full event on YouTube:
