“From words to deeds”: European Union democracy promotion in Armenia

This article analyses the European Union (EU)'s engagement in Armenia through policy frameworks (mainly the Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership) and practices, focusing on the correspondence between words and actions in democracy promotion. The article argues that the EU's role in democracy promotion in Armenia has provided grounds for fundamental improvements, but has also been facing several constraints, which result both from the relationships that are developed with local actors in Armenia and the two-way inter-connections that result from these, as well as the regional context where EU engagement is focused, which goes beyond Armenia to include transnational dynamics in the South Caucasus. The article builds on the authors' extensive field research in Armenia and on the analysis of important documents framing EU–Armenia relations in order to deconstruct the narratives and processes that underlie policy definition, as well as the mismatch between wording and implementation. This analysis aims to shed light on the EU's role in democracy promotion in Armenia in the context of its possibilities and limitations.