RSC Director Richard Giragosian briefed the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, on 12 April, on the current situation in the wake of the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. The RSC also presented a more detailed three-page report, entitled “The South Caucasus: Regional Challenges and Concerns,” for the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA) that included five key “lessons learned” from the recent resumption of hostilities over Karabakh as well a set of six policy several recommendations for the United Nations.

In response to the outbreak of open warfare along the Nagorno-Karabakh “line of contact,” the Regional Studies Center (RSC), an independent think tank in Armenia, convened a closed RSC Special Briefing on 4 April to offer a “Situational Assessment” of the military, diplomatic and political situation. 

The Regional Studies Center (RSC) held its latest monthly briefing on 30 March, with a presentation by RSC Director Richard Giragosian focusing on an analysis of domestic political developments in Armenia and an assessment of regional developments (briefing notes attached).

The Regional Studies Center (RSC) held its latest closed monthly briefing on 24 February, with presentations by RSC Director Richard Giragosian and Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan. This month’s briefing featured a comprehensive analysis consisting of two areas: (1) an analysis of domestic political developments, including the formation of a new pro-government coalition and the state of the opposition, and a focus on the process of electoral reform in the wake of the adoption of constitutional amendments; (2) an assessment of regional developments, including the escalating crisis between Russia and Turkey, recent developments related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the outlook for the expansion of Armenian-Iranian relations.

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.