Regional Center for Democracy and Security

An independent think tank in Armenia that informs policymakers and the public about regional developments, Armenia’s foreign policy, security environment, and democratic trajectory, fostering evidence-based research and collaboration.

News

Latest RCDS news and events

RCDS Public Discussion: “Armenia’s Democratic Trajectory After the Elections.”

On July 31, the Regional Center for Democracy and Security (RCDS) hosted a public discussion titled “Armenia’s Democratic Trajectory After the Elections.” The discussion brought together RCDS Director Tigran Grigoryan, CivilNet Editor-in-Chief Karen Harutyunyan, and Narek Sukiasyan, a researcher at the Center for Civilization and Cultural Studies. The discussion was moderated by RCDS expert Hayk […]

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RCDS Calls on International Partners to Impose Visa Restrictions on Individuals Promoting Hate Speech Against Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees

On July 15, the Regional Center for Democracy and Security (RCDS) submitted a letter to the Heads of Diplomatic Missions of the European Union Member States, other Schengen Area countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada accredited to Armenia, calling for targeted sanctions, including visa restrictions, against individuals who have systematically promoted hate […]

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RCDS Research Visit to Syunik

Experts from the Regional Center for Democracy and Security visited Syunik from June 15–18, 2026. During the visit, they met with various population groups and local self-government representatives to discuss the process initiated by the Washington documents on August 8, 2025, as well as the potential challenges and opportunities related to the TRIP route. Discussions […]

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Meeting with the Head and Team of the EU Monitoring Mission

From June 15–18, the RCDS team conducted a research visit to Armenia’s Syunik Province. As part of the visit, the team stopped in Yeghegnadzor for an exchange of views with Satu Koivu, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA), Marek Kuberski, and members of the Mission’s team. The discussion focused on recent […]

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Articles

Housing Solutions for Forcibly Displaced People from Nagorno-Karabakh: Progress and the Road Ahead

By Hayk Khanumyan As a result of the 2020 war and Azerbaijan’s attack in September 2023, the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh—around 150,000 people—was forcibly displaced from their places of residence and lost their homes. Beginning in 2022, the Armenian government launched housing assistance programs for different groups of people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The first […]

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Democracy Watch

What Armenia’s democratic backsliding means for civil society and international partners

By Tigran Grigoryan #DemocracyWatch – Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections were the most geopoliticized in the country’s modern history. All the major external actors involved in the South Caucasus had clear preferences in the race and were actively engaged during the pre-election period in promoting their respective agendas. While Russia supported the opposition through its […]

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Articles

Azerbaijan Builds Combat Readiness While Armenia Falls Behind in Operational Training

by Eduard Arakelyan Last week, Azerbaijan showcased several key developments in the evolution of its armed forces. The country conducted training flights of its new JF-17 Block III fighter jets, launched large-scale ground forces exercises, and had its special operations forces participate in joint survival training with Serbian troops. Taken together, these activities reflect Baku’s […]

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Research

Parliamentary Elections in Armenia and Hate Speech Against Nagorno-Karabakh Refugees: June 2026

By Hayk Khanumyan The campaign for Armenia’s 2026 National Assembly elections ended on June 5, with voting taking place on June 7. Compared to May—which was saturated with hate speech targeting forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh and featured incidents involving senior public officials, community leaders, and other political actors—June saw fewer such incidents involving high-ranking […]

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