In an Armenian-language interview with the Armenian “1in.am” news agency on 9 March, RSC Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan assessed the broader context of the visit to Moscow of Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian. Noting that the visit comes in the wake of a sensational Russian media leak of Armenian “military secrets,” Shahnazaryan also revealed that Russia has been steadily following a policy of “militarization” of the South Caucasus, which he contended was a serious threat to the delicate regional balance of power. He added as part of this Russian strategy, a series of public leaks, disclosures and statements also reveal a policy of “blackmail and intimidation” aimed at pressuring both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In the third article for the “RSC Guest Analysis” publication series, RSC Resident Fellow Marine Sarsgyan presents an analysis of the military alliances and security trajectories of the three countries of the South Caucasus. Sargsyan is a Doctoral Student at Leiden University in the Netherlands and holds a six-month RSC Fellowship, working in our office in Yerevan.

In the second part of an interview with Aram Sargsyan of the “1in.am” news agency, RSC Director Richard Giragosian assessed Armenia’s enhanced strategic significance, in the broader context of developments in the South Caucasus and the wider Middle East.

www.1in.am/1856073.html

On 1 March 2016, RSC Director Richard Giragosian met with Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, during her visit to Armenia. Convened at the EU Delegation to Armenia, the RSC was among seven other civil society organizations to meet with the EU foreign policy official and in a meeting that lasted for nearly ninety minutes, presented and discussed a wide range of issues, ranging from the domestic situation in Armenia to broader regional developments.

As part of our Turkey project, the Regional Studies Center (RSC) has initiated a new “Turkish Media Digest” effort, focusing on covering news and analysis related to Turkey-Armenia and Turkey-Azerbaijan from the Turkish media. This is our first publicly available edition of our “Turkish Media Digest,” covering the period January-February 2016.