On 29 August, the Regional Studies Center (RSC) issued a brief statement in defense of the decision by Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian to attend the 28 August inauguration ceremony of Turkish President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The statement, issued by RSC Director Richard Giragosian noted that “although I have been sometimes critical of the Armenian foreign minister in the past, I both welcome and defend his decision to attend the Turkish presidential inauguration.” The statement went on to say that “the presence of the Armenian foreign minister was significant, despite the fact that Turkey has yet to establish diplomatic relations or open the closed border with Armenia.” The statement then went on to specify several points illustrating the advantages of this decision and demonstrating how it strengthens Armenian diplomacy and foreign policy.
.{edocs}../pr/2014/august/29/RSC_Statement_on_Armenian_Foreign_Policy.pdf,,950{/edocs}