Whether the Armenian diamond-cutting industry is hurt or helped by the likely sanctions will depend on the EU's ability to trace the gems' origin to Russia.
Vagif Khachatryan, a 68-year-old veteran of the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s, pleaded not guilty but was convicted of crimes including "genocide."
Armenia is increasingly keen on Western mediation while Azerbaijan prefers to see the issue settled with the participation of regional powers like Russia and Turkey.