The Wider Black Sea region as a political and strategic whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts and lies in the heart of legitimate geo-strategic interests of the main international and regional players. The major stakeholders of the region lack clear set of objectives and largely shared understanding of the Wider Black Sea, there is no formulated and generally shared long-term political or political-military framework for securing the stability of the region in the face of existing frozen conflicts, differing perceptions of the economic and security challenges, shortage of well-developed regional institutions, civilizational and cultural discrepancies, etc. Thus, the growing debate on the Wider Black Sea region is reasoned by the following major arguments: more>>

FOLLOW-UP PROJECT: IMPLICATIONS FOR ARMENIA

FOLLOW-UP PROJECT: IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY

FOLLOW-UP PROJECT: IMPLICATIONS FOR GEORGIA

AIPRG Executive Board Response to Letter by US Secretary of Defense Gates and US Secretary of State Rice

The border between Armenia and Turkey was unilaterally closed by Turkey in 1993. In recent years, there has been increased pressure—both external and internal—to open the border and normalize bilateral relations. The conference which was held in January 2007 brought together researchers, policymakers, international organizations, and other stakeholders to examine the potential benefits and costs of opening the border and normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey. The conference aimed at providing policymakers with analysis about ways to maximize potential benefits and mitigate potential costs of border opening. The conference was co-sponsored by USAID, Eurasia Foundation, and the UK Embassy in Armenia. more>>

The Constitutional Amendments incorporated through a referendum on November 27, 2005 lifted the ban on dual citizenship arrangements in Armenia, which had been in place since 1995.  In light of this, and given the potentially sizable economic and social implications of a formalized arrangement, this conference will review issues related to active homeland-diaspora relations in countries around the world and three existing concepts of dual citizenship for diaspora Armenians.  The conference is intended to encourage professional dialogue and to further the public's understanding of the legal, economic, and social issues surrounding the topic.  more>>