Security and Defence in the South Caucasus: Armenia and Georgia on the Edge
Friday, January 31st, 2025 at 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
- Hybrid event
- 10 Daly Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1N 0C6
Registration is required.

The South Caucasus have emerged as a geopolitical fulcrum since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, engaging emergent and existing global powers in this complex ethnic and political landscape. Security and defence issues remain paramount since Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008, Ukraine in 2014 and 2022, and the conflicts over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in 2020 and 2023. Armenia and Georgia, the focus of this workshop, each balance efforts to maintain sovereignty with the realization that regional and global powers—including Turkey, Russia and China— retain significant interest in their territories, resources and populations. Armenia has turned towards the West for military assistance, even if its efforts to pivot from Russia are challenged by legacies of economic and military interdependence. Georgia’s government has made a hard turn from Europe and towards Russia, against the wishes of its population. This workshop will examine multiple facets of regional security and defence, from military capabilities and alliances to cybersecurity and domestic issues that include food security and climate change.











Schedule
8:45-9:00: Registration and Coffee
9:00-9:15: Introductory Remarks
- Andrew Turner, Canadian Ambassador to Yerevan
- Anahit Harutyunyan, Armenian Ambassador to Canada
9:15-10:15: Panel 1: Regional Security and Defence Issues
- Jean-François Ratelle (University of Ottawa) – “Conflict Resolution in Eurasia- Armenia/Azerbaijan in Regional Perspective”
- Nona Shahnazarian (Stanford) – “A Changing Landscape for Armenia-Russia Relations: A Colonial Legacy”
- Natia Chankvatadze (Harvard) – “Peacebuilding: Discourses and Practices in Georgia and the South Caucasus”
10:15-10:30- Break
10:30-11:30: Panel 2: Politics and Security
- David Sichinava (Carleton) – “Setting Sail in Uncharted Waters? Georgia’s Domestic Political Trajectories After the 2024 Parliamentary Elections”
- Ella Bennett (Carleton student) – “Crossroads of Contention: The Zangezur Corridor’s Role in Regional Stability and Security”
- Margarita Tadevosyan (George Mason) – “Navigating Loss: Armenia’s Domestic Challenges after Nagorno-Karabakh”
11:30-11:45: Break
11:45-12:45: Panel 3: Broader Security Issues and Canada’s Role
- Samvel Minasyan (SecDev, Ottawa) – “Exploring the Cyber Dimension of the Security Challenges in the Caucasus”
- Elza Stepanyan – “Food Security in Armenia”
- Jeff Sahadeo (Carleton) – “Why Should Canada Care about the South Caucasus?”