Seminar on Conflicts in the Post-Soviet Space and CIS Policy
Short version
On 3 March 2020, the Russian International Affairs Council hosted a closed experts seminar on the theme “Conflicts in the Post-Soviet space and CIS policy”.
Most of the expert discussions were focused on the question of Nagorno-Karabakh, following the presentation of the report International Crisis Group report “Digging out of Deadlock in Nagorno-Karabakh” by Olesya Vartanyan and Zaur Shiriyev.
Full version
On 3 March 2020, the Russian International Affairs Council hosted a closed experts seminar on the theme “Conflicts in the Post-Soviet space and CIS policy”.
The event began with a presentation by Igor Okunev, Director of the Center of Spatial Analysis in International Relations of the MGIMO University, on the theme of “Russia’s geopolitical code”.
There, the presenter developed his arguments concerning the specific drivers of Russia’s behaviour in the international sphere, including the role of ‘status’ in the definition of Russian foreign policy and the question of self-perception as ‘Western’ or not.
Following this, Ekaterina Chimiris, RIAC Program Manager, presented her project aimed at constructing a model of relationships between post-soviet states.
Most of the expert discussions were focused on the question of Nagorno-Karabakh, following the presentation of the report International Crisis Group report “Digging out of Deadlock in Nagorno-Karabakh” by Olesya Vartanyan and Zaur Shiriyev.
The report was advocating for the separation between talks on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and those related to other issues, such as the surrounding areas. Among other recommendations, the analysts were proposing the end of settlements construction in exchange of Azerbaijan's abstention to conduct international legal claims against Armenia.
The topic produced active debates among the experts, who constructively expressed their disagreements.