Garo Paylan is a former member of the Turkish Parliament, a 2025 Yale World Fellow, and currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. During his parliamentary tenure, he was a prominent voice on minority rights, democratic reform, and regional reconciliation, and one of the most outspoken advocates inside Turkey’s Parliament for recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

A committed human rights defender, Paylan has consistently advocated for dialogue between Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, arguing that sustainable peace and accountability are essential for long-term stability in the South Caucasus. His current work focuses on reconciliation and durable peace in Turkey and the South Caucasus.