EAP Think Bridge - № 2017-06 - Bridging divide, forging cooperation and fostering collaboration (PIC Promotion of the Intercultural Cooperation, 2017)
However the different ways and motives the six East¬ern Partnership countries may have, one way or another they are moving towards strengthening their coopera¬tion with the European Union. The systematic reforms and the ability to defend their national interests while resisting the outside pressure are the two essential components for the further successful development in this direction. It is not unexpected that the countries in the region are in the different stages of EU engage¬ment, with prominent leaders being Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. That is why it is extremely important not only to establish the dialogue between the civil society and the reformers in each country of the region, but also to have the efficient communication between the countries sharing the best cases. It is exactly the subject matter of Armenian expert Richard Giragosyan's monthly analytics. In May the relations of the countries in the region with their Western partners were not univocal.
Georgia, on the one hand, became a political center, having hosted the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. However, on the other hand, it became involved in an international scandal due to the case of an Azeri opposition journalist kidnaped in Tbilisi. The world leaders reassured Ukraine that the sanctions against Russia will not be lifted. Moreover, Kyiv itself imposed some new sanctions on the aggressor's business, and social networks "VKontakte" and "Odnoklassniki", as well as "Yandex" search engine were blocked. In Yerevan the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe of¬fice, the last one in the Southern Caucasus, was closed at the behest of Baku. Yet Armenia and Azerbaijan faced new escalation of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict - missile attacks. Moldova did not receive the financial aid promised by the EU, due to the issue of its democratic standards, in particular the deteriorating situation with media independence.
At the same time Belarus is still seeking balance to counter the Russian influence not only in the West, but also in the East. In the course of the "One Belt, One Road" Forum, taking place in Bejing in May, Minsk signed an agreement with China on the cooperation in economy, as well as in security and military spheres. More details on these and other important events in the region are pro¬vided in our monthly reviews. //// CONTENT: ARMENIA WEATHERS THE STORM // AZERBAIJAN: NEW LOW IN RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA // BELARUS: CHINA'S MOST SPECIAL PARTNER // GEORGIA: ON THE WAY TO NATO // MOLDOVA: AUTHORITIES FORCING A MIXED ELECTORAL SYSTEM // UKRAINE: «AWAY FROM MOSCOW» TO ASSOCIATION WITH EUROPE // ANALYTICA: BRIDGING DIVIDE: FORGING COOPERATION AND FOSTERING COLLABORATION // EAP THINK BRIDGE ROUND TABLE: EASTERN EUROPE AND SOUTH CAUCASUS FACING NEW SECURITY ENVIRONMENT