A series of direct contacts between Azerbaijan and Armenia have brought hope to the two countries’ decades-long impasse over Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict that began as the Soviet Union collapsed. But while these meetings, on the heels of a change in power in the Armenian capital, bring new dynamism, much has to be done before true progress is possible.
From Russia's point of view, the reintegration of the former Soviet Union countries in the Eurasian format is determined mainly by the geopolitical and security interests, rather than the economic ones. The first year of the existence of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will show if this integration project will succeed in the future.
Armenia’s decision (03.09.2013) to join the Russian sponsored Customs Union (CU) and its perspective evolution, the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), had the effect of a thunderclap in European politics. The decision left the European Union in disarray. In the framework of the Eastern Partnership programme (EaP), this year Brussels has been engaged in intense negotiations to foster closer relations with the former Soviet Republics of East Europe and the Caucasus.
