This week Latika Takes: The Podcast is at the Yerevan Dialogue in Yerevan, Armenia.
Latika’s guest is Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Robert Abisoghomonyan. Mr Absioghomonyan discusses the transformation in Armenia, a former Soviet state, that is underway following a societal demand that the government seek EU membership.
This week, Armenia hosted the European Political Community to which Canada’s Mark Carney and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky were also invited, in a show of the EU’s pulling power.
Armenia also hosted the EU-Armenia summit aimed at deepening ties between the tiny country and the 27-member bloc, which many countries are trying to join.
Latika and Robert discuss how Russia’s failure to come to Armenia’s aid under its military alliance obligations when Azerbaijan seized Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 served as a catalyst for the country’s shift towards Europe.
They also discuss the true viability of EU membership for Armenia, Yerevan’s special relationship with the Iranian regime, and the delicate balancing act the country's government is playing as it heads to elections next month, battling Russian interference.
