In light of recent developments, the Regional Studies Center (RSC) held a special closed briefing on Wednesday, 21 January, to assess the implications of the recent tragedy involving the murder of an Armenian family by a rogue Russian soldier stationed at the Russian military base in Gyumri.

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.

On 28 November, the RSC provided a special training on analysis and “critical thinking” for 25 staff members from several committees of the Armenian parliament. As a component of the RSC Parliamentary Support project, this staff training was the latest of our activities designed to enhance the institutional capacity of the Armenian National Assembly through analytical support and technical expertise in the areas of parliamentary oversight, committee hearings, legislative review and the public policy process.

Several RSC staff members participated in an international expert workshop organized in Berlin on 25 November by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) focusing on the “Repercussions of a Changing Geopolitical Environment on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict.”

From 20-21 November 2014, RSC staff participated in the EU Eastern Partnership (EaP) Civil Society Forum in Batumi, Georgia, as part of the official Armenian delegation. This 6^th annual EaP Civil Society Forum in Batumi was officially entitled, “EU Integration & Common Security: Making it Happen.”