Armenia and Saudi Arabia: Potential Diplomacy in Complex International Relations

Mohammed Alrmizan

As a part of series of reports on the Saudi bilateral relations in the southern Caucasus, and following the first report on Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia (2019), this report analyzes the prospects of Armenia and Saudi Arabia, potential diplomacy, and current barriers. First, the report introduces the historical background and highlights Saudi foreign policy in the southern Caucasus. Second, it explores Armenia’s international relations and geopolitical strategies. And third, it focuses on potential Armenian–Saudi rapprochement while considering regional barriers. In the end, while this report finds some events that may lead to the rapprochement between the two countries, like proactive foreign policy, exchanges of letters on national days between head of states, and regional and political challenges, it also identifies some barriers, like Armenian foreign policy toward the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and its cooperation with Iran in particular. Considering these trends and barriers, the potential diplomacy and relationship may be more valuable to Armenia regarding the reality of local politics and complex international relations.