In the spring and summer of 2013, prior to pre-signing an Association Agreement between the European Union and Armenia, Russia intensified its pressure on the Armenian society and the government. The pressure to make Armenia reject the direction of European integration, crowned in the meeting of the two presidents on September 3rd when the northern superpower made such an insistent offer to its Armenian counterpart that the latter was unable to refuse. 

Integration with the European Union (EU) has always been one of the key foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Armenia. Since its independence Armenia has been implementing a number of reforms aimed at enhancing market economy, good governance, democracy, human rights and rule of law in order to meet the European standards.

The number of customers turning to the services of private employment agencies (PEA) in Armenia is increasing: every tenth employer is nowadays a customer of PEA. However, Armenian PEAs face serious challenges, which hinder development and effectiveness of these significant players in the labour market. PEAs are intermediaries between job-seekers and employers.

Armenia has achieved substantial progress toward developing democratic institutions during the recent years. This progress is particularly tangible in relation to freedom of press, where according to Reporters without Borders, Armenia ranked 77th last year, leaving behind almost all the countries in CIS and the region. Armenia has also made substantial progress in implementing the key recommendations for launching negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.

The Arab Spring escalated dramatically in Syria. Unfortunately, there is no lack of evidence to support this argument: thousands of victims, ruined towns and villages, the weakened central government, chaos, instability, international terrorism, drastic rise of the crime level, abductions and hostages, the rise of extremism, and unprecedented international pressure and sanctions imposed on Syria. External intervention transformed an internal conflict into an international one.