Draft:Regional Center for Democracy and Security

• Comment: Taking out two close primary sources adds nothing to notability. DoubleGrazing (talk) 08:04, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: Every source is a passing mention or from them. Being quoted does not confer notability. Try to find sources about them not written by them. PARAKANYAA (talk) 09:08, 24 October 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: Needs sources independent from the subject -Samoht27 (talk) 21:38, 16 October 2025 (UTC)

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The Regional Center for Democracy and Security (RCDS..) is a think tank based in Yerevan. The RCDS aims to educate policymakers and the broader public about key developments in Armenia and the region, and to serve as a platform for evidence-based research and analysis with the goal of creating a hub of knowledge, innovation, and collaboration, focused on promoting democracy, human rights, and security.

Publications

The RCDS publishes its research in articles that mainly tackle the development issues of a nascent democratic culture in Armenia, with themes of transparency, public trust and civil society engagement. The relationship between democracy and security is underlined as many of the articles are about national security policy regarding Armenia, and the mistakes of past and current wars. Since the 2023 conclusion to the Nagorno Karabakh war, the RCDS also lays the stress on refugee integration and the pressing human rights issues around it

The RCDS also organises workshops and discussion to give better visibility to Armenian civil society and work towards a more inclusive and respectful democratic field, notably fighting prejudices against women in political discourses in Armenia. The RCDS military expert, Eduard Arakelyan, recently presented his report about what Armenia can learn about the Ukraine War in a discussion held in Yerevan on October 8

The Director of the RCDS, Tigran Grigoryan, testified at the US congressional hearing on Armenia held in Helsinki in July 2024. In this intervention he emphasized the importance of preserving democratic gains in Armenia, help the integration of Artsakh displaced refugees and US help to counter Russian propaganda in Armenia.

The RCDS also contributes frequently to Civilnet on Democracy Watch, a joint initiative between the RCDS and Civilnet for monitoring democratic developments in Armenia.

Appearences in international media

The RCDS has emerged as one of the leading think tank covering the geopolitical developments of Armenia and the challenges faced by the country. In doing so, the RCDS team appeared in several international media, such as the New-York Times, politico, BBC, DW, The World, The Guardian, The Rolling Stones, La Croix, La Repubblica, Reuters, Newsweek and Bloomberg. Reaching an international audience allows the RCDS to monitor the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) war, and its consequences not only at a Caucasian level but also at an international level, replacing the conflict in broader contexts and unlocking new understandings of the political developments of the contemporary Armenian policy debates.

The RCDS through the eyes of other organizations

The RCDS has been quoted as a reliable source of information monitoring the challenges Armenia's democracy faces by the European Endowment for Democracy. The EED is an organization created by the European Union to promote democracy in countries around member states. It has also collaborated with the Heinrich Böll Stiftung foundation writing about Russian influence in Armenia. The Regional Center for Democracy and Security is also recognized by the EaP (Eastern Partnership of the European Union) as one of the main think tanks in Armenia.