Voices

On 21 January this year, the European Court of Human Rights found Russia responsible for a number of major human rights violations during the 2008 war against Georgia. In this opinion piece, Erekle Koplatadze gives his perspective on what this decision means.

"The US needs Turkey to counter Russia in the Black Sea region, the Middle East, and the South Caucasus. Turkey can also be useful in the US strategy to contain China", argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed. However given the number of problems between the two countries US-Turkey relations may normalise, but they will continue to develop in the cooperation/competition framework, he argues.

The State’s lack of legitimacy in Yemen over many decades created a vacuum which has been exploited by key socio-political groups that felt marginalised, resulting in the erosion of the country’s sovereignty. In this op-ed Noman Ahmed argues that addressing this issue is key for any future peace process to succeed.

Currently Yerevan has almost no leverages to influence future developments around Nagorno Karabakh, argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed. In 2021, Armenia has no choice but to wait and watch the ups and downs in Russia – Turkey – Azerbaijan relations.

Six world leaders have have published a joint op-ed in which they called for a global conversation on multilateralism. The leaders said in the article published in several languages in media outlets across the world that there was an "opportunity to rebuild consensus for an international order based on multilateralism and the rule of law through efficient cooperation, solidarity and coordination." The signatories of the appeal are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Senegalese President Macky Sall, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.

The new US administration may decide to challenge Russia in the South Caucasus, but this will not work in Armenia's interest, and will not address Armenian concerns on the post-war situation in Karabakh, argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed.

Peace in the Caucasus for the last three decades has been elusive, and appears to remain so. Lulls between fighting sometimes offer some respite from the violence, but real peace remains absent. It is now needed more than ever, but the "Pax Putin" is not the solution, argues Dennis Sammut in this op-ed

Despite the recent expressions of unity within the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) following the al Ula summit, a unified approach towards Yemen appears unlikely. Continued external interference will exacerbate the political stalemate and add to the suffering of the Yemeni people, argue Mahmoud Shamsan and Noman Ahmed in this op-ed.

Disillusioned by the attitude of both Russia and the West during the recent Karabakh War, Armenia should look to making China a key partner for economic, political, and defence cooperation, argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed

Leaders from the six nation Gulf Co-operation Council meet in Saudi Arabia this week. After months of discussions the rift between Qatar and other GCC members appears to have been healed, opening the prospect for a unified approach to the challenges ahead.

We live in a world where disinformation has become widespread, and where open societies find themselves vulnerable to malicious attacks from dark forces wrapped in religious bigotry or false nationalism. Disinformation and Radicalisation have now become the biggest enemies of the values we cherish and our way of life. European civil society and think tank communities need to step up in the face of the current challenges.

"As a result of the November 10 trilateral statement, and deployment of Russian peacekeepers, Armenia now is more dependent on Russia than at any time since September 1991", writes Benyamin Poghosyan in this commentary. Furthermore, the deployment of Russian border troops in the Syunik region significantly increases Russian influence and leverage over Armenia, something which will definitely impact Armenia- Russia relations in the future.