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2 months ago | 
jamestown.org | Onnik James Krikorian
Executive Summary:Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has signaled plans to pursue EU membership, which Moscow views as an attempt by Brussels and Washington D.C. to fully replace it. Armenia’s reliance on Russia for trade complicates the situation. The economic challenges posed by such a pivot mean the government is likely to face significant domestic opposition.
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2 months ago | 
commonspace.eu | Benyamin Poghosyan |Onnik James Krikorian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has signalled plans to seek European Union (EU) membership. Though framed as an attempt to diversify away from decades of dependency on Russia, Moscow instead sees it as a western attempt to simply oust it from the region. Such a move is supported by some in Armenia amid disillusionment with Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) following the 2020 war with Azerbaijan and a 2022 incursion into Armenia itself.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
jamestown.org | Onnik James Krikorian
Executive Summary:Russia’s Federal Security Service border guards left Armenia’s border checkpoint with Iran on December 30. Even though Russian guards will remain elsewhere on the entire stretch of the Armenia-Iran border, it represents further diversification away from Moscow. The European Union Mission Armenia (EUMA) is set to complete its initial two-year deployment next month.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
commonspace.eu | Benyamin Poghosyan |Onnik James Krikorian
When I moved to Yerevan in October 1998, it was rare to hear much positive conversation about the future of Armenia or Karabakh. That had also been the case when I visited the country on a research trip earlier that June. Many were already tired of the conflict and few seemed enthused with a new regime that had just come to power after the ousting the country's first president earlier that year.
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Dec 6, 2024 | 
commonspace.eu | Benyamin Poghosyan |Onnik James Krikorian
Georgia is once again embroiled in turmoil, its central Rustaveli Avenue literally alight with protests sparked by a wave of political and geopolitical tensions. Following controversial parliamentary elections held on 26 October, tensions have escalated, with many citizens accusing the government of pivoting away from the European Union in favour of closer ties with Russia. They demand a new vote. At time of writing, six nights of demonstrations shook Tbilisi.
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Dec 6, 2024 | 
commonspace.eu | Benyamin Poghosyan |Onnik James Krikorian
Georgia is once again embroiled in turmoil, its central Rustaveli Avenue literally alight with protests sparked by a wave of political and geopolitical tensions. Following controversial parliamentary elections held 26 October, tensions have escalated, with many citizens accusing the government of pivoting away from the European Union in favour of closer ties with Russia. They demand a new vote. At time of writing, six nights of demonstrations shook Tbilisi.
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Nov 30, 2024 | 
commonspace.eu | Benyamin Poghosyan |Onnik James Krikorian
Four years after the Second Karabakh War, civil society initiatives between Armenian and Azerbaijan remain arguably less impactful than ever before. On the surface, they appear few and far between, but many are often held in secret. The reason given is often security but that argument is no longer as credible as it was before. Indeed, nearly all projects that do exist remain largely untouched and unhindered.
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Nov 27, 2024 | 
jamestown.org | Onnik James Krikorian
Executive Summary:As Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ratings continue to decline, a viral video of him shaving has been interpreted as the start of the government’s preparations for the next parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for mid-June 2026 at the latest. The resignation of key officials has strengthened this opinion, instructed to do so by messages sent to them by Pashinyan.
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Nov 19, 2024 | 
commonspace.eu | Benyamin Poghosyan |Onnik James Krikorian
November marks the fourth anniversary of the end of the 2020 Karabakh war. It was also the month considered as an informal deadline for initialling or signing some kind of document ending the conflict between Yerevan and Baku or at least a joint statement cementing points agreed in peace talks to date.
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Nov 9, 2024 | 
jamestown.org | Onnik James Krikorian
Executive Summary:The ruling Georgian Dream secured re-election for another four-year term, and ethnic Azerbaijani and Armenian populations in Georgia, who tend to support the ruling party, were blamed by opposition groups for contributing to Georgian Dream’s victory. Allegations are circulating about the manipulation of minority votes in the elections, with accusations that Baku encouraged ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia to support the ruling party.
