Background

On 3/14, ORF America hosted a closed-door roundtable discussion with Armenia’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and the Foreign Policy Head of the Civil Contract party Dr. Narek Mkrtchyan. He was a professor at the Yerevan State University before being appointed as a Member of Armenia’s National Assembly. In 2021, he was appointed as the Minister for Labor and Social Affairs. Dr. Mkrtchyan has also participated in various Track 2 and Track 1.5 dialogues in the US, Germany, France, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Georgia.

Summary

The roundtable featured a discussion on geopolitics in the Caucasus region including the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the role of Russia and the Central Security Treaty Organization, and other regional players like Turkey and Iran. Participants also exchanged perspectives on North-South connectivity between the regions of Caucasus, Indo-Pacific, and Europe. To that end, Armenia has launched a set of principles called the “Crossroads of Peace”. Furthermore, the discussion extensively touched upon Armenia’s growing ties with India, France and the U.S. Three factors namely military and security cooperation, trade and supply chains; and the role of diaspora and people to people ties are broadly driving Armenia’s new ties with India and the West. The roundtable was attended by officials from the Indian and Armenian Embassies, media, trade bodies, think tanks and diaspora groups.