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  • PFA's New Report Lays Out A Roadmap For Armenia's Relations With The

    PFA'S NEW REPORT LAYS OUT A ROADMAP FOR ARMENIA'S RELATIONS WITH THE WEST

    Lragir.am
    Politics - 03 October 2014, 09:41

    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.

    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--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 cliches, 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 a 501(c)3 non-profit think tank aimed at
    strengthening discourse on Armenia's economic development and national
    security and, through that, helping to shape public policy in Armenia.

    This State of the Nation report and other PFA reports, which provide
    assessments of critical developments taking place in Armenia and the
    Diaspora, are available via www.pf-armenia.org/reports.

    http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/politics/view/33048#sthash.HmKn3u7v.dpuf

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