In an interview with the Armenian “1in.am” electronic news agency, RSC Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan offered extensive analysis assessing the impact of the tragic downing of a civilian Malayasian Airlines Being 777 over Ukraine. According to Shahnazaryan, the civilian aircraft was most likely downed by pro-Russian militia units in Donetsk in the eastern part of Ukraine, probably using the Russian “Buk” anti-aircraft missile system.
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In a two-part interview published on 16 and 17 July by the Armenian daily newspaper “Aravot,” RSC Project Director Haykak Arshamyan offered his analysis of developments in Armenian foreign policy, with a focus on the new security environment in the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and also assessed the current state of domestic politics.
According to Dr. Arshamyan, the resilience of Armenian civil society has changed the internal political dynamic of the country, to the point where the Armenian government has become unable to effectively limit or silence civic activism. He further noted the demise of the Armenian government’s stated ambition to join the Russian-driven Eurasian Union project, and stressed that the future of Armenian relations with the European Union (EU) remains promising, despite the setbacks form the Armenian president’s blunder to sacrifice the Association Agreement with the EU.
www.aravot.am/2014/07/16/479964/ (first part)
www.aravot.am/2014/07/17/480280/ (second part)
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In a brief interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Armenian Service, RSC Director Richard Giragosian commented on recent developments in Armenian-Russian relations, welcoming the recent statement by the Armenian president expressing concern over recent Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan.
http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/25453267.html
video: www.armenialiberty.org/media/video/25452837.html
audio, with the original English and translation into Armenian:
www.armenialiberty.org/audio/audio/1173397.html
In a commentary published by IWPR, RSC Director Richard Giragosian assessed his recent visit to Baku, noting that as a “rare chance for Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue, just meeting face to face offers opportunities to engage in considered discussion and to listen to the other side.”
http://iwpr.net/report-news/rare-chance-armenian-azerbaijani-dialogue
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In an interview with the Armenian “Hayots Ashkhar” (“Armenian World”) newspaper on 1 July, RSC Director Richard Giragosian assessed recent developments in Armenian foreign policy, including the Nagorno Karabakh peace process and a recent debate over Azerbaijan in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
http://www.armworld.am/detail.php?paperid=4860&pageid=149457
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