Tag: european union

EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks with Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly series "EVN Security Report" who explains the madman theory, a strategy in coercive bargaining, where the perceived extremism of an actor is leveraged to achieve one-sided outcomes. In this context, Kopalyan explains how Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s bargaining posture operates off of the logic that if his terms are not met, he reserves the right to wage war, thus anchoring the threat of destruction to force acquiescence from Armenia and the international community.

While the EU is one of Armenia’s largest trading partners, exports from Armenia remain relatively low. This trade deficit can present an opportunity for Armenian exporters to expand their presence in the European market and increase their export volume.

If the EU is honest in its commitment to make peace possible in the South Caucasus, then it needs to address Baku’s ongoing anti-Armenian rhetoric and policy of creating permanent tensions on the borders to pressure Armenia for further concessions.

The global response to secessionist inter-ethnic conflicts is shaped by a number of factors, from the extent of the threat of ethnic cleansing, to possession and instrumentalization of energy sources and more. Sossi Tatikyan explains.

In the wake of lingering concern over the events unfolding in Ukraine following Russia’s February 24 invasion and its defeat in Artsakh in 2020, how can Armenia pull itself out of this chain of elevated conflicts?

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 18: the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey meet on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum; Azerbaijan proposes a peace accord with Armenia; although a damaged natural gas pipeline supplying gas to residents of Artsakh has been repaired, gas supply has still not commenced.

The rise of China has shifted the geopolitical center of gravity to the Indo-Pacific. What does this paradigm shift entail? How can Armenia navigate the transition and find its place on the world stage?

By meeting Azerbaijan’s demand for a €2 billion financial package to participate in “restoration and reconstruction”, the European Union is casting into doubt its sincerity in supporting democratic values in the South Caucasus.

Through a number of developing steps, the EU wants to open a space for a greater role in the South Caucasus and particularly in managing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is now dominated by Russia and Turkey, writes Anna Barseghyan.

Since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War, Russia has enjoyed an effective monopoly over the negotiation process. Recent initiatives by the EU suggest that Europe may be taking a more proactive role in the South Caucasus.

China considers Turkey a key strategic partner under the Belt and Road Initiative. It has also intensified economic relations with Azerbaijan and is keen to diversify its commercial routes to Europe. Was China a silent observer or did it have any role to play during the 2020 Artsakh War.

Following the 2020 Artsakh War, the creation of a new geopolitical reality in the region by Baku and Ankara opened a "Pandora's Box" forcing the main stakeholders to re-articulate their geopolitical agenda.

After remaining on the sidelines of the 2020 Artsakh War, the EU seems to be back with a renewed and impressive strategy for Armenia. With this new agenda, is the EU trying to counterbalance the influence of other regional players?

One of the most important dimensions of Armenian-EU cooperation is the energy sector. The EU has expressed a willingness to support Armenia in designing an energy strategy and policy, including security and diversification of the energy supply.

The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU came into force on March 1, 2021. Will it serve as a stepping stone to develop and extend the scope of the partnership?

The EU’s weak stance and incapacity to act during a time of great need for the Armenian people still reverberates. Today, Armenians are asking themselves if they can afford to trust the EU again.

In December 2020, the EU passed the Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, equipping its foreign policy arsenal with a powerful new tool to protect human rights. Armenians should be paying close attention to how it will be used.

Does the armed conflict of international character waged by Azerbaijan and Turkey against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh warrant an international recognition of Artsakh’s remedial secession?

As the hordes mass at Armenia’s gates, the U.S. and Europe, the supposed guardians of peace and justice, remain reluctant to intervene to halt the violence due to self-interest and capitulation to Turkish blackmail.

The Azerbaijani-Turkish joint venture of transplanting mercenaries into Azerbaijan has the potential to turn the region into a new hub of sectarian violence and create a security breakdown for the wider region. Here is the EU response.

COVID-19 tested governments around the world and has shown the need for global cooperation. Anna Barseghyan looks at EU and EAEU assistance to Armenia over the last several months.

There is a growing view that the Eastern Partnership needs to formally move beyond its founding premise as a bridge between neighbors and to become a vehicle for significant economic integration and ultimately, perhaps, EU accession.

The upcoming Brussels Summit on the Eastern Partnership will be another challenge for Armenia as it seeks to maintain the internationally-recognized OSCE Minsk Group framework, with its inclusion of the principle of self-determination.

Anna Barseghyan provides a broad overview of the Armenian government’s move to outlaw public calls for violence and draws parallels with the European experience.

The European Green Deal is an ambitious plan to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Anna Barseghyan looks at the challenges and opportunities for green policy in Armenia.

Anna Barseghyan looks back at Europe’s record on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and writes that as long as new genocides are happening across the world, the Armenian question remains contemporary.

The EU’s policy toward its neighbors has had several transformations, including a shift from a “one size fits all” approach to a “pick and choose” one. Anna Barseghyan explains.

Following changes in migration policies of EU countries, an increasing number of illegal Armenian immigrants were deported from the Schengen area. Armenia’s government has introduced a draft program, which, if adopted, will be the first initiative aimed at providing state support to deported Armenians.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was established in 2015 with the objective of creating a shared economic space with a single customs union. This Fact Sheet about the EAEU provides a closer look at its membership, it purpose, its weaknesses and more. It is part of a larger project, “Understanding the Region: The Caucasus and Beyond.”

In the midst of a tremendous domestic transition, Armenia continues to navigate complicated global and regional relations and tensions, while also trying to maintain and strengthen relations with the European Union.

The new Armenia-EU agreement can be considered a milestone in the history of modern Armenia and in Armenia-EU relations but how does it change the context of Armenia-Russia relations? And what does it mean for Armenia- from the future of the Nuclear Power Plant to rebranding the Armenian cognac?

Armenia is set to sign a new accord with the European Union in November of this year. Hailed as a new step forward in bilateral relations, the sides remain cautiously optimistic that the signing will go ahead as planned. EVN Report’s new contributor Kristine Gasparyan takes a look back at EU-Armenia relations over the last several years.