For three decades, Armenia based much of its security strategy on close relations with Russia, reinforced by a bilateral defense pact, membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and a Russian military presence. Its dependence extended beyond defense to energy, trade, and critical infrastructure.
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Azerbaijan’s 2022 incursions into Armenia, and the 2023 displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population profoundly weakened confidence in Moscow’s security guarantees. Armenia has since frozen its participation in the CSTO and expanded its relations with the European Union, the United States, France, India, and other potential partners.
This lecture examines the choices facing a small state seeking to reduce its dependence on a dominant patron. How much room does Armenia have to diversify its security and foreign relations? What political, economic, and strategic risks accompany that shift—and can Yerevan pursue it without exchanging one form of dependence for another?
Speaker
Dr. Narek Sukiasyan is an Armenian political scientist specializing in Armenia’s foreign and security policy, democratization, and relations with Russia. He is a researcher at the Centre for Culture and Civilisation Studies at Yerevan State University and an adjunct lecturer at the American University of Armenia. He also serves as Project Manager and Senior Policy Researcher at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Armenia and as a Fellow on Armenian Affairs at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
His recent publications include “Russia and Karabakh: The Unreliable Ally?” in The 44-Day War: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Struggle for Nagorno-Karabakh and, with Narek Galstyan, “Polarization and Party Politics in Post-Revolutionary and Post-War Armenia” in Policy Studies.
Dr. Sukiasyan is a regular lecturer in SRAS programs Identity and Conflict in the Caucasus (semester) and Crossroads: Geopolitics and Security in the Caucasus (summer).
About the Series
The Eurasian Corridor Lecture Series features primary and guest lecturers who contribute to SRAS programs across the Baltics, Central & Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Through focused online lectures, they share regional expertise and perspectives on the political, social, cultural, and economic forces shaping the Corridor and its place in the wider world.
Event Format
Unless otherwise noted, each event includes a 25–30-minute presentation, followed by 15 minutes of moderated discussion and 15 minutes of questions from attendees. A recording will be sent to everyone who registers.