Armenia-Azerbaijan: Searching for New Models of Dialogue Joint Study with “Yeni nesil”, coordinated by Boris Navasardian, President, Yerevan Press Club
The main purpose of this study was to consider the feasibility and prospects of revival of the Track-2 diplomacy and the development of appropriate recommendations. Although it was conceived and supported by the US government even before the political changes in Armenia, its relevance was confirmed by the intensification of the dialogue at the official level between Yerevan and Baku in the summer of 2018. Certain characteristics of the renewed interest in the informal communication were revealed during the visit to Yerevan of the Azerbaijani journalist Shahin Hajiyev, in February 2019, and by the interest of Armenian journalists to visit the neighboring country. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 16.09.2019
| External Relations
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Perspectives of EU – South Caucasus Relations By Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD, Executive Director, Political Science Association of Armenia
South Caucasus is a part of EU’s Eastern Partnership program. Launched in 2009, the Eastern Partnership envisages fostering relations between the EU and six former Soviet Union republics – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The key goal of this program is the signature of Association and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreements to bring about political association and economic integration. The top priority for the EU has been the political and economic development of the region, as Brussels did not want to have a permanent source of instability in its immediate neighborhood. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 09.09.2019
| External Relations
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NATO’s Strategy Towards the Black Sea Region By Eugene Kogan, Tbilisi-based defence and security expert
Although the pursuit of compromises and negotiations with Russia are an unwritten rule for countries such as Bulgaria and Turkey, such pursuits damage NATO as a whole. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey remind us of the famous fable ‘Swan, Pike and Crawfish’- by Ivan Krylov: “When partners can’t agree their dealings come to a naught and trouble is their labor’s only fruit,” while Russia is joyfully rubbing its hands and laughing behind NATO’s back. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 09.09.2019
| Security
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Perspectives of Armenia – Georgia Relations By Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD, Executive Director, Political Science Association of Armenia
Armenia and Georgia have a long history of relations. In more recent times both republics were parts of the Soviet Union, and after the collapse of the latter the two states have found themselves involved in the regional geopolitics of the South Caucasus. Each of them chose its own foreign policy priorities based upon relevant perceptions of vital national interests. Armenia, being under joint Azerbaijani – Turkish pressure due to the Karabakh conflict and with memories of 1915 Armenian Genocide still fresh has no alternative but to establish political-military alliance with Russia. Georgia, with historical grievances over Russia’s role in demolishing Georgian independent statehood and still fresh memories of April 1989 tragic events in downtown Tbilisi, chose the path towards Euro-Atlantic integration. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 03.09.2019
| External Relations
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US Strategic Goals in the South Caucasus Do Not Coincide with Armenian National Interests By Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD, Executive Director, Political Science Association of Armenia
Relations with the United States are of significant importance for Armenia. Despite the relative decline in the US position as the only world super power, Washington still remains the number one global power in the world. The US is a Minsk Group Co-chair country, actively involved in the Karabakh conflict settlement process, and it exerts great influence in the neighborhood of Armenia. America is also home for the most influential part of Armenian Diaspora, which may play a key role in bringing desperately needed investments into the Armenian economy. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 22.08.2019
| External Relations
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Iran - South Caucasus: Current Stage and Perspectives By Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD, Executive Director, Political Science Association of Armenia
Iran is one of the key geopolitical actors of the Middle East. Despite the current “diplomatic isolation and maximum economic pressure” campaign launched by the US President Trump Administration, Iran retains its capabilities of making serious impact on regional geopolitics. It exerts political and economic influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen through various state and non-state actors and has a vast toolbox of asymmetric methods of political, economic and military struggle. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 16.08.2019
| External Relations
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Russia – Turkey relations. Implications for the South Caucasus By Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD, Executive Director, Political Science Association of Armenia
In recent years, Russia – Turkey relations have gone through tremendous transformations. In November 2015, they entered the phase of acute crisis with no hope of quick improvements. However, in summer 2016 the process of reconciliation was launched, which resulted in bringing an unprecedented level of cooperation in economy and in the military-technical sphere. What are the main factors for such change and what does the current Russia – Turkey partnership mean for the South Caucasus. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 26.07.2019
| External Relations
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Deciphering Armenia – Russia relations after the “Velvet Revolution” By Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD, Executive Director, Political Science Association of Armenia
A pivot towards the West is simply not in Armenia’s best interest.
Immediately after the “Velvet Revolution” in Armenia during the spring of 2018, the main narrative regarding possible developments in Armenian and Russian relations focused on negative expectations. Conventional wisdom brought plenty of reasons for such a mood. Russian authorities do not like leaders who come to power through street demonstrations, and Russia mainly exerts power in its neighbourhood through a network of corrupt and oligarchic elites. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 12.07.2019
| External Relations
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New Russian Embargo - Collapse for Georgian Economy or Historic Chance? By Nika Chitadze, PhD, Director, Center for International Studies, International Black Sea University, Tbilisi
By Putin's order, flights to Georgia from Russia will be prohibited from July 8. Based on past experience, it can be mentioned, that this step from the official Kremlin may not be a catastrophe for Georgia and on the contrary, to be a chance for the better future. The opening of the Russian market during the last several years and the partial settlement of relations with Russia was considered as a means of growth of Georgia's economy, but the developments since 2013 have proved contradictory.
READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 12.07.2019
| Markets
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‘Game of Thrones Moment' for Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh
By Ahmad Alili, Head of Research, Caucasus Policy Analysis Center, Baku
In the real world, we do not have dragons, faceless men, red woman, white walkers or resurrection from the dead. Yet, the public policy challenges facing advisers in the famous Game of Thrones (GoT) TV show mirror those that political advisors to real governments face. We draw parallels to the real world in the way the show's decision-makers and advisers face the same limitations of time, resources and information bias. READ MORE
- EGF Editor |
Published on EGF: 01.07.2019
| Security
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