At the invitation of the Armenian Ministry of Defense, RSC Director Richard Giragosian participated in a two-day International Strategic Policy Forum of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The forum, entitled “Integration of National and Regional Peacekeeping Capacities into the Global System of Peace Operations,” was held from 1-2 July and included senior officers and officials from the CSTO Secretariat and Joint Staff, and representatives from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation and Tajikistan.

In a commentary published by IWPR, RSC Director Richard Giragosian assessed his recent visit to Baku, noting that as a “rare chance for Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue, just meeting face to face offers opportunities to engage in considered discussion and to listen to the other side.”

http://iwpr.net/report-news/rare-chance-armenian-azerbaijani-dialogue

In an interview with the Armenian “Hayots Ashkhar” (“Armenian World”) newspaper on 1 July, RSC Director Richard Giragosian assessed recent developments in Armenian foreign policy, including the Nagorno Karabakh peace process and a recent debate over Azerbaijan in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

http://www.armworld.am/detail.php?paperid=4860&pageid=149457

In the latest addition to an already expanding staff, the Regional Studies Center (RSC) is pleased to announce that David Shahnazaryan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, has joined the RSC staff as a Senior Analyst. Starting on 1 July, Ambassador Shahnazaryan will provide strategic guidance, offer innovative analysis, and specific support for several of our current projects.

Most notably, he will be directly engaged in our “Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process” project, which is funded by the European Union under the Instrument for Stability. In addition, Ambassador Shahnazaryan will also be working as a Senior Analyst on other ongoing RSC projects, including our projects dealing with the wider region, including Georgia, Iran and broader regional developments. He will also be engaged in our “track two” diplomacy with both Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Given his vast experience and prominence, the RSC is pleased to welcome Ambassador Shahnazaryan. As background, he is also the Founder & Chairman of the Center for Legal and Political Studies “Concord,” and is a former two-term deputy in the Armenian parliament (from 1991-1995 and 1995-1999), as well as a founding member of the Board of the “Armenian National Movement” Party. He has also held several senior-level posts in the Armenian government, serving as the Ambassador of the President of Armenia on Special Missions and Special Representative of the President of Armenia from 1992-1995, and as the Armenian Minister of National Security from 1994-1995.

In the first of a series of new RSC commentaries for Al Jazeera English, RSC Director Richard Giragosian’s article “Georgia's EU alignment: Regional repercussions” was published on 30 June.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/06/georgia-eu-alignment-regional--2014629123238966304.html