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Policy Forum Armenia
1250 I (Eye) Street N.W., Suite 710,
Washington, DC, 20005
Email: [email protected]
View this email in your browser (http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=402b8441bc11f67daa12a8031&id=3771c25d44&e=ea639 1f9cc)
October 1, 2014
PFA's New Report Lays out a Roadmap for Armenia's Relations with the
West and a New Vision for the Caucasus
Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)-a Washington-based international think
tank-announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report
on `Armenia and the West: A New Vision for the Caucasus ', an earlier
version of which was presented as a background paper during a
high-level workshop at the Atlantic Council in Washington on July 2,
2014.
(http://pf-armenia.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=402b8441bc11f67daa12a8031&id=5e2c29bb2a&e= ea6391f9cc)
(http://pf-armenia.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=402b8441bc11f67daa12a8031&id=4b119d06b3&e= ea6391f9cc)
The report is intended for policymakers with interest in strengthening
Armenia and its ties with the West. It offers some out-of-the-box
thinking that challenges prevailing views about Western involvement in
Armenia and the Caucasus. The report essentially sets aside a critical
handicapping factor-Armenia's leadership and governance-and lays out a
vision for the country's role in the region under a leadership that
would enjoy widespread support among its people; understand and stay
current with global trends; and maintain a reasonable degree of
independence from foreign interference. The report states that, if
implemented in practical terms, a leadership change of this nature
will unleash Armenia's developmental potential and effectively lead to
the proposed foreign policy reorientation.
The report notes that, while Armenia owns its current problems, the
West has lost a valuable opportunity to steer Armenia toward more
democracy and better governance. However, recent developments in the
wider region bring new opportunities for the West to forge stronger
ties with Armenia. Yet, as argued in the report, this cannot be done
with the current ruling regime, which has squandered the country's
economic and geopolitical potential and brought Armenia close to a
point of no-return.
The report provides a thorough review of Armenia's bilateral relations
with all its neighbors and Russia. While it recognizes the gravity of
the current status quo that relies heavily on Russia's meddling in
Armenia's domestic and foreign policy choices, it proposes a way
out. The report notes that the Russia's control of Armenia is working
against the long-run interests of both countries. This state of
affairs is not sustainable. The challenge is to convince Russia to
step back and allow Armenia to build bridges with other
countries/blocks, as dictated by its own strategic interests, while
still maintaining an exclusive relationship with Russia.
In his remarks, Armenia's first Ambassador to the United States,
Rouben Shougarian noted that: "The report that followed the
multifaceted discussion at the Atlantic Council is both a gratifying
result of a comprehensive insight into Armenia's foreign and security
policy and a creative after-thought to the discussion itself. It is
also a rare attempt to put Armenia's future into strategic
perspective, which helps it to graduate beyond one-dimensional
dependence on Russia and opens the door for alternative political
thinking. Foreign policy problems and challenges are rightfully linked
to better governance and democracy building."
While analyzing the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, the report lays
out three possible scenarios. The most attractive scenario for
Armenia=80'one that requires strengthening the country's economy and
defense capabilities to retain control over Nagorno-Karabakh-is one
that would also bring stability to the region and allow the creation
of a Transcaucasian economic market for the benefit of all players. In
terms of Armenia's attractiveness for the West, the report lays out a
vision in which Armenia plays a role of a key corridor for
de-blockading Iran, when the Western sanctions are lifted; acts as a
reliable partner for Georgia in an otherwise very volatile region; and
presents itself as a potential buffer against Turkey's neo-Ottoman
aspirations in the region.
`I have been following the activities of Policy Forum Armenia for some
time, and find the work of this small but outstanding group of
professionals truly impressive. PFA's ability to think outside the
established norms and clichés, its perseverance and its well
researched and thorough reports on difficult and hard-hitting subjects
have always met the highest professional standards. Their latest
report on Armenia and the West is no exception. One may or may not
agree with all its conclusions, but the report stands as one of the
most thoughtful and possibly consequential works on the subject of
Armenia's foreign relations.' said Vahan Zanoyan, author and retired
Chairman of PFC Energy International, a global energy advising firm.
###
Policy Forum Armenia is an independent non-profit association
dedicated to strengthening discourse on Armenia's economic development
and national security and through such efforts helping to shape public
policy in Armenia.
================================================== =========
Copyright © 2014 Policy Forum Armenia, All rights reserved.
Policy Forum Armenia
1250 I (Eye) Street N.W., Suite 710,
Washington, DC, 20005
Email: [email protected]
View this email in your browser (http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=402b8441bc11f67daa12a8031&id=3771c25d44&e=ea639 1f9cc)
October 1, 2014
PFA's New Report Lays out a Roadmap for Armenia's Relations with the
West and a New Vision for the Caucasus
Policy Forum Armenia (PFA)-a Washington-based international think
tank-announces today the publication of its State of the Nation Report
on `Armenia and the West: A New Vision for the Caucasus ', an earlier
version of which was presented as a background paper during a
high-level workshop at the Atlantic Council in Washington on July 2,
2014.
(http://pf-armenia.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=402b8441bc11f67daa12a8031&id=5e2c29bb2a&e= ea6391f9cc)
(http://pf-armenia.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=402b8441bc11f67daa12a8031&id=4b119d06b3&e= ea6391f9cc)
The report is intended for policymakers with interest in strengthening
Armenia and its ties with the West. It offers some out-of-the-box
thinking that challenges prevailing views about Western involvement in
Armenia and the Caucasus. The report essentially sets aside a critical
handicapping factor-Armenia's leadership and governance-and lays out a
vision for the country's role in the region under a leadership that
would enjoy widespread support among its people; understand and stay
current with global trends; and maintain a reasonable degree of
independence from foreign interference. The report states that, if
implemented in practical terms, a leadership change of this nature
will unleash Armenia's developmental potential and effectively lead to
the proposed foreign policy reorientation.
The report notes that, while Armenia owns its current problems, the
West has lost a valuable opportunity to steer Armenia toward more
democracy and better governance. However, recent developments in the
wider region bring new opportunities for the West to forge stronger
ties with Armenia. Yet, as argued in the report, this cannot be done
with the current ruling regime, which has squandered the country's
economic and geopolitical potential and brought Armenia close to a
point of no-return.
The report provides a thorough review of Armenia's bilateral relations
with all its neighbors and Russia. While it recognizes the gravity of
the current status quo that relies heavily on Russia's meddling in
Armenia's domestic and foreign policy choices, it proposes a way
out. The report notes that the Russia's control of Armenia is working
against the long-run interests of both countries. This state of
affairs is not sustainable. The challenge is to convince Russia to
step back and allow Armenia to build bridges with other
countries/blocks, as dictated by its own strategic interests, while
still maintaining an exclusive relationship with Russia.
In his remarks, Armenia's first Ambassador to the United States,
Rouben Shougarian noted that: "The report that followed the
multifaceted discussion at the Atlantic Council is both a gratifying
result of a comprehensive insight into Armenia's foreign and security
policy and a creative after-thought to the discussion itself. It is
also a rare attempt to put Armenia's future into strategic
perspective, which helps it to graduate beyond one-dimensional
dependence on Russia and opens the door for alternative political
thinking. Foreign policy problems and challenges are rightfully linked
to better governance and democracy building."
While analyzing the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, the report lays
out three possible scenarios. The most attractive scenario for
Armenia=80'one that requires strengthening the country's economy and
defense capabilities to retain control over Nagorno-Karabakh-is one
that would also bring stability to the region and allow the creation
of a Transcaucasian economic market for the benefit of all players. In
terms of Armenia's attractiveness for the West, the report lays out a
vision in which Armenia plays a role of a key corridor for
de-blockading Iran, when the Western sanctions are lifted; acts as a
reliable partner for Georgia in an otherwise very volatile region; and
presents itself as a potential buffer against Turkey's neo-Ottoman
aspirations in the region.
`I have been following the activities of Policy Forum Armenia for some
time, and find the work of this small but outstanding group of
professionals truly impressive. PFA's ability to think outside the
established norms and clichés, its perseverance and its well
researched and thorough reports on difficult and hard-hitting subjects
have always met the highest professional standards. Their latest
report on Armenia and the West is no exception. One may or may not
agree with all its conclusions, but the report stands as one of the
most thoughtful and possibly consequential works on the subject of
Armenia's foreign relations.' said Vahan Zanoyan, author and retired
Chairman of PFC Energy International, a global energy advising firm.
###
Policy Forum Armenia is an independent non-profit association
dedicated to strengthening discourse on Armenia's economic development
and national security and through such efforts helping to shape public
policy in Armenia.
================================================== =========
Copyright © 2014 Policy Forum Armenia, All rights reserved.