The closing session of the special RSC professional training program was held on 25 January, marking the end of the 2024 training project that catered to alumni of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) “Leadership Academy” program.  The closing session was led by Stephan Malerius, the Head of Regional Programme Political Dialogue South Caucasus for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), RSC Director Richard Giragosian, Liana Marukyan, Program Manager, and Lilit Arakelyan, Junior Programme Manager, both from the Armenia office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Regional Programme Political Dialogue South Caucasus.

Meeting with the newly appointed EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Magdalena Grono on her visit to the region, RSC Director Richard Giragosian briefed her and her staff on 9 January in Yerevan.  Giragosian presented an assessment of ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, an analysis of Armenia-Turkey “normalization,” and a deeper look at Armenia’s “diversification” of its foreign policy, examining Armenian relations with Russia, the European Union and the United States.

RSC Director Richard Giragosian provided a detailed assessment of economic trends and geopolitical developments for the Fitch Credit Rating Agency on 8 January 2025. In a video conference call with senior analysts of the London-based Fitch headquarters, Giragosian reviewed the projected downturn in Armenia’s GDP growth, presented the latest trade figures, including contentious developments in the Armenian re-export of gold and diamonds from Russia, and addressed the outlook for stability and risk mitigation, and the country’s overall investment climate.

The seventh session of our professional training program was held on 9 December, with a presentation and discussion of the “The Future of Armenian Statehood.”  RSC Director Richard Giragosian guided the participants through an in-depth discussion of the key pillars of Armenia’s future: political stability, military security, economics and trade, demographic trends, and the role of the diaspora.

On 29 November, the sixth session of our professional training program was held with an analytical assessment of “governance, decision-making and leadership in Armenia.”