The Regional Studies Center (RSC) held its latest closed monthly briefing on 20 January, with presentations by RSC Director Richard Giragosian and Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan. This month’s briefing featured a comprehensive analysis consisting of three main areas: (1) assessing recent political developments in Armenia, related to the implications of the December passage of the constitutional referendum, and a review of the negative economic impact on Armenia from the Russian crisis; (2) an overview of regional developments, including the recent Russian military buildup in Armenia, the deepening economic crisis in Azerbaijan, and the outlook for Armenia-Turkey “normalization,” especially given the recent Turkish-Russian crisis; (3) an assessment of the broader military situation, in light of the recent escalation of clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh and with an added focus on the outlook for the diplomatic mediation of the Karabakh conflict following the December meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Switzerland.
Several officials from the Embassies of Poland, Romania, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the EU Delegation to Armenia attended the briefing, along with representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations, the NATO Liaison Office (NLO) in Tbilisi, World Vision and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
As an independent “think tank,” the Regional Studies Center (RSC) offers a regular series of monthly briefings in order to serve as a resource for the diplomatic community and international organizations in Armenia by providing an alternative source of objective analysis and information on a regular basis.
