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Reference on the state budget of the RA of 2023

The present analysis is devoted to the investigation of the key aspects of the state budget of the RA. First, we consider the projections of macroeconomic variables forming the basis of the budget, then we analyse the planned values of parameters of the general and central budget of the RA. We pay particular attention to the comparison of the planned values of revenues and expenditures with the actual levels observed in previous years. In the end we make conclusions in order to assess whether the budget addresses the problems that exist in the RA. Full material is only available in Armenian.

  


The results of US midterm elections

On November 8, 2022 Congress midterm elections took place in the USA. These elections are usually held in the middle of the U.S. president's 4-year term. As a result of these elections, the House of Representatives will be controlled by the Republicans, while the majority in the Senate will continue to be maintained by the Democratic Party. This article will analyze the battle for control of Congress, the results of the members of the Armenian Caucus in the elections, as well as the possible impact of the midterm elections on the change of the U.S. foreign policy. Full material is only available in Armenian.

  


The social-economi0c developments in the economy of the RA for January-October 2022

In the present analysis, given the data published by the Statistical Committee of the RA, we study the recent social-economic developments in the economy of the RA. In particular, we consider the cumulative indicator of economic activity of the given month, its sectoral distribution, as well as the dynamics of individual sectors of the economy. We also analyze economic developments in the foreign trade, labour market and fiscal system of the RA. In addition, some aspects of the financial system (inflation, deposits and loans), as well as the behaviour of the exchange rate, are touched upon. Full material is only available in Armenian.

  


The positioning of the Erdogan regime as a mediator in international relations

The world has entered a new and tense phase of international relations, conflicts and violent geopolitical developments. Trying to get involved in various processes of international relations between other states, Turkey strives for global influence. Assuming the role of a mediator in international relations, Turkey receives greater autonomy from such hegemons as the United States and Russia. In addition to strengthening Turkey's role on international platforms, this tactic is often used to also strengthen the position of the Erdogan administration and the Justice and Development Party (AKP). The mediation strategy has been actively used and continues to be used in the Middle East, Central Asia, within the framework of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, in the South Caucasus and in relations to a number of other states. There are also manifestations of such a strategy towards Armenia and Artsakh. Researching and understanding the latter is necessary in the context of the national security of the Armenian states. Full material is only available in Armenian․

  


A study on the execution report of the state budget of the RA for the first nine months of 2022

The objective of the present analysis is to assess the execution of the state budget of the RA in the given period. First, we describe the general state of the economy of the RA, namely the driving forces of economic activity, the developments in individual sectors of the economy, the behavior of the components of the demand – consumption and investment – and so on. Afterwards, we analyze the performance of government revenues and expenditures by comparing the actual and planned values of the respective indicators. We conclude the analysis by summarizing the main observations and results. Full material is only available in Armenian․

  


Legality of cyber-means of warfare and the RoA policy in the field of cyber defense

The issues of a clear, measurable, relevant, substantive and timely adopted strategies of national security and state defense should undoubtedly be among the key issues of the state policy of the Republic of Armenia, taking into account the aggression carried out by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh and the high probability of its continuous manifestation also in future. It is also indisputable that information security, cybersecurity and cyber defense are a necessary and very important component of national security and state defense in the 21st century, and the development and implementation of comprehensive strategic documents in the mentioned areas (including their regular revision and improvement) are indispensable means for the effective management of these areas and for effectively ensuring national security and state defense.

Cyberspace, along with land, air and water, has long been considered by states as a usual domain for warfare, at the same time cyber weapons, along with conventional weapons, have been perceived as alternative means of warfare. The issue of ensuring cybersecurity and cyber defense is today considered around the world as one of the key challenges to international security. The use of cyber weapons during armed conflicts is lawful under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and IHL rules and regulations are applicable to the use of cyber means of warfare. It is not a coincidence that over the past decades states have been paying more and more attention to the issues of cyber defense in the context of ensuring the state defense from external enemies primarily by developing a state strategy and the main directions of state policy in the field of cyber defense.

The Republic of Armenia started undertaking specific measures in the field of informational security and ensuring the formation and development of the so-called electronic society already in the first decade of the 2000s. In 2008-2009 the Government of Armenia adopted a number of strategic documents on cybersecurity. In October 2017 the President of Armenia and the Armenian Government initiated the process of improving the relevant strategic documents in the field and bringing them in line with the challenges of the modern world. In particular, the documents which were regulating the field of cybersecurity lost their force, and parallel to that, in the end of 2017 beginning of 2018, draft strategies on cybersecurity and on ensuring information security and information policy of the RoA were developed. One would think that these documents, which have a strategic importance for the RoA, should have been considered as a priority by the state and, accordingly, should have been improved, finalized and adopted long ago, and should have by now been in the process of implementation. However, the current study leads to sad conclusions: the reality is that since 2017 to the present day there are no strategic documents in the field of information security, cybersecurity and military cyber defense in the Republic of Armenia.

Over the past five years the passivity and inaction of the government bodies in the issues of development of information security, cybersecurity and cyber defense, the development of state policy and the approval and implementation of strategic documents in the mentioned areas are unacceptable, taking into account the pressing security and defense problems that the Republic of Armenia is facing today. The absence of state vision and policy in the field of cybersecurity and military cyber defense, as well as the absence of the relevant strategic documents in the RoA is a dangerous reality in the context of the imperative of effective organization of RoA defense.

The relevance and urgency of the problem is additionally evidenced by the indicators of the Republic of Armenia on ensuring cybersecurity and cyber defense. Thus, according to the data published by the Global Cybersecurity Index for 2020, only three countries among the countries of the region (Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), namely Kyrgyzstan (49.64), Tajikistan (17.1) and Turkmenistan (no data available) have a lower ranking than the Republic of Armenia. At the same time, according to the National Cybersecurity Index as of 2020, among other countries Armenia ranks 90th with a minimum score of zero for cybersecurity policy development, a minimum score of zero for the analysis of cyberspace threats, a minimum score of zero for cyberspace crisis management, a minimum score of zero for the defense of critical infrastructures and protection of digital services, and a minimum score of zero for the ability to organize military cyber operations. Full material is only available in Armenian.

  


What kind of security assistance does the United States provide to Azerbaijan and against whom this assistance is directed?

Since 2002, Azerbaijan has been receiving security assistance from the United States, which is significantly more than the amount received by Armenia. Naturally, such volumes of security assistance received by Azerbaijan are disturbing and dangerous for Armenia, which is regularly subjected to Azerbaijani aggression. Therefore, there is a need to find out and study what kind of security assistance the United States provides to Azerbaijan and against whom this assistance is actually directed. In order to achieve this goal, the waiver of the act prohibiting the provision of assistance to Azerbaijan (Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act), the main purposes for which the United States provides security assistance to Azerbaijan, and the cases of the use of this assistance against Armenia in the past will be examined. Full material is only available in Armenian.

  


The social-economic developments in the economy of the RA for January-September 2022

In the present analysis, given the data published by the Statistical Committee of the RA, we study the recent social-economic developments in the economy of the RA. In particular, we consider the cumulative indicator of economic activity of the given month, its sectoral distribution, as well as the dynamics of individual sectors of the economy. We also analyze economic developments in the foreign trade, labour market and fiscal system of the RA. In addition, some aspects of the financial system (inflation, deposits and loans), as well as the behaviour of the exchange rate, are touched upon. Full material is only available in Armenian.

  


THE MESSAGES OF NANCY PELOSI

On September 17-19, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi made a historic visit to the Republic of Armenia, becoming the highest-ranking official of the United States to ever visit Armenia. The visit was preceded by the Azerbaijani aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, which, however, did not prevent the Speaker of the House of Representatives from making the already planned visit.
In this article, the following questions will be addressed. In particular, why did the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, embark on the visit to Armenia, despite the Azerbaijani aggression? What were the main reasons for visiting Armenia? What messages can be extracted from the statements made by Nancy Pelosi during her visit to Armenia? And why she did not travel to Georgia or Azerbaijan to keep the balance. Full material is available only in Armenian․

  


The social-economic developments in the economy of the RA for January-August 2022

In the present analysis, given the data published by the Statistical Committee of the RA, we study the recent social-economic developments in the economy of the RA. In particular, we consider the cumulative indicator of economic activity of the given month, its sectoral distribution, as well as the dynamics of individual sectors of the economy. We also analyze economic developments in the foreign trade, labour market and fiscal system of the RA. In addition, some aspects of the financial system (inflation, deposits and loans), as well as the behaviour of the exchange rate, are touched upon. Full material is only available in Armenian.

  


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