ABSTRACT
Armenia gained independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Relations with the other two neighbours, Georgia and Iran, are good, but Russia remains the strategic partner for Armenia in the region. On 3 September 2013, the Armenian President announced that the country would be joining the Russian-led Customs Union, even though Armenia had been negotiating a comprehensive trade agreement with the European Union for more than four years. The Government Programme for the period between 2012 and 2017 outlined a number of priority issues in the country, including increasing economic competitiveness, developing Armenia's human capital and building the institutional capacity of state structures in particular. The Armenian law on the Preservation of Nature outlines clearly the responsibilities of the business sector towards natural resources in the country. However, environmental activists often accuse the government of turning a blind eye towards the ecological damage done by mining companies in the country.
