In cooperation with our Georgian partner organization, the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), the Regional Studies Center (RSC) held a joint discussion panel on 5 December entitled, “Regional Divergence: The European Union and the Eurasian Union.” Hosted by the Open Society Institute Georgia Foundation (OSGF), the discussion was moderated by OSGF Executive Director Keti Khutsishvili and featured welcoming remarks by Nino Evgenidze, the Executive Director of the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), followed by presentations by RSC Director Richard Giragosian and EPRC Senior Research Advisor Giorgi Bakradze.
.RSC Director Giragosian provided the broader background of the Armenian president’s decision to sacrifice the Association Agreement with the European Union in favor of his commitment to joining the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. Giragosian then focused on the implications of the decision, with an assessment of the ramifications for bilateral Armenian-Georgian relations and the economic consequences for Armenia.
Bakradze then presented the findings from a recent EPRC report, “Focus on Armenia: Eurasian Customs Union Crawling Closer to Georgia,” which offered a unique analysis of the economic impact of Armenia’s likely entry into the Eurasian Union.
The event, which was covered by several Georgian TV stations, was attended by representatives of the diplomatic community, including officials from the European Monitoring Mission (EUMM) to Georgia, the EU Delegation to Georgia, and the Embassies of Bulgaria, France, the Netherlands, as well as representatives from the NATO Public Liaison Office in Georgia and a number of current and former Georgian state officials.
