In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Armenian Service on 27 August, RSC Director Richard Giragosian commented on the latest developments regarding the “delays and deferrals” over the Armenian government’s stated goal to join the Russian-dominated Customs Union/Eurasian Union.

Georgia ratified its Association Agreement with the EU on July 18.

In an interview with the Georgian magazine “Investor.ge,” RSC Director Richard Giragosian analyzed the potential impact of Tbilisi’s move toward Europe on the rest of the region. According to Giragosian, “In a largely symbolic move, the Georgian parliament formally ratified its Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) on July 18. The agreement, which was signed on June 27 in Brussels, represented a crowning achievement for Georgia after several years of complex negotiations, and elevated Georgia one step closer to Europe.”

Regional Studies Center (RSC) Director Richard Giragosian participated in a roundtable discussion assessing the implications of the Turkish elections for the Armenian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). The 16 August discussion was moderated by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service Director Hrair Tamrazian and including insightful analysis from Professor Vahram Ter-Matevosyan of the American University of Armenia.

Regional Studies Center (RSC) Analyst Dr. Mikayel Zolyan assessed recent developments in Armenian-Turkish relations in a roundtable discussion on 15 August for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)’s Armenian Service. Dr. Zolyan joined Giro Manoyan, the ARF Bureau’s Political Affairs Office Director, for the discussion, which was hosted by Anna Israelian.

www.armenialiberty.org/media/video/26532597.html

In an interview with the Armenian “Aravot” daily newspaper, Regional Studies Center (RSC) Senior Analyst Dr. David Shahnazaryan offered his analysis of the recent Russian-hosted meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Sochi. In the interview, published on 12 August, Dr, Shahnzaryan noted Russia’s attempts to sideline the OSCE Minsk Group peace process and stressed the need for the Armenian government to shift to a more “pro-active foreign policy.” He further called on the Armenian government to “take advantage of new opportunities” and adopt a policy “in tune with the current situation,” which he urged “should be pro-active and multilateral, involving not only the executive branch of the power, but also the parliament, civic society, experts and so on.”

Armenian version: http://www.aravot.am/2014/08/12/487956/

English version: http://en.aravot.am/2014/08/15/166513/