In a wide ranging interview covering the war in Ukraine and the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the situation in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, RSC Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan offered his analysis in an interview on 18 October in Kiev with prominent journalist Vitaly Portnikov. The interview, which took place in Kiev, was aired on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian Service.

www.svoboda.org/content/transcript/26642446.html

audio: www.svoboda.org/audio/26619916.html

In a multi-part interview with the “Aravot” newspaper, RSC Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan assessed the implications from the Armenian bid to join the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). In the interview, entitled, “Membership in Eurasian economic union makes Armenia a captive,” Shahnazaryan pointed out the negative implications of such a move, adding “there is no single economic reason for Armenia’s membership in the Russia-led union. Armenia has no economic border with any of its member states; its accession to the Eurasian Economic Union will entail a greater economic downfall and further worsening of people’s living standards.”

In an assessment published by the Bertelsmann Stuftung’s Transformation Index BTI 2014 blog, RSC Analyst Mikayel Zolyan reviews the course of Armenia’s state goal of joining the Eurasian Economic Union. In the 6 October analysis, Zolyan noted that “in the run-up to the Ukraine crisis, Armenia rejected an association agreement with the European Union in favor of cooperation with Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan,” but stressed that “the country’s future in the Eurasian Economic Union seems uncertain – and the door to Brussels might not be completely shut.”

http://blog.bti-project.org/news/details/1410/an-offer-yerevan-could-not-refuse/

An insightful new policy paper co-authored by RSC Analyst Mikayel Zolyan offered a fresh look at the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and provided several important new policy recommendations. Written with the support of the Oslo-based Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and co-authored by Artak Ayunts, Mikayel Zolyan and Tigran Zakaryan, the policy paper will be published as a peer-reviewed academic article, and is a product of several months of collaborative desk research, expert interviews and focus group discussions conducted in the Spring and Summer 2014 in Armenia.

Timed with the visit to Armenia of the Austrian Foreign Minister, RSC Director Richard Giragosian and Analyst Mikayel Zolyan offered analysis in an interview with the ORF (“Österreichischer Rundfunk”) Austrian national public service broadcaster. RSC staff covered broader trends in the region and offered their assessment of Armenia’s decision to seek membership in the Eurasian Union, but also noted the possibility of salvaging a relationship between Armenia and the European Union (EU).

http://oe1.orf.at/artikel/387012