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Armenia After The Vilnius Summit

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  • Armenia After The Vilnius Summit

    ARMENIA AFTER THE VILNIUS SUMMIT

    Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
    Dec 5 2013

    5 December 2013 - 9:58am

    Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

    Armenia's participation in the Eastern Partnership summit, which
    recently took place in Vilnius, was limited by signing a joint
    statement with the EU, which states its readiness to improve many-sided
    cooperation in the spheres of mutual interest. The document is a result
    of President Serge Sargsyan's statement on Armenia's intention to join
    the Russian-led Customs Union on September 3rd. The results of the
    summit caused an ambiguous reaction in political and expert circles
    of Armenia. Some supporters of European integration, who are governed
    by emotions and panic, speak about a huge loss for Armenia, a failure
    of the Western policy, and changes in the EU attitude toward Armenia.

    According to expert Grant Kostanyan, as Armenia didn't sign the
    association agreement (DCFTA), it lost the opportunity to reform the
    economy and the political field. According to the leader of the union
    'National Self-Identity', Paruijar Ayrikyan, the President actually
    rejected progress of the Armenian nation and made a great mistake.

    Supporters of European integration, who heavily criticize the
    authorities for choosing the Eurasian direction, are concerned that
    Armenia's accession to the CU will lead to a loss of independence
    and the country becoming a part of the 'Russian Empire'.

    "After September 3rd, Armenia shifted to a new stage which became
    the most fatal for the whole history of independence. Sargsyan
    who declared that our country was to join the CU gave a mandate to
    Russia for governance of Armenia," the head of the 'Consent' Center
    of Political Studies, David Shakhnazaryan, is sure.

    In return, representatives of the ruling Republican Party emphasize
    that Armenia's choice is determined by questions of security, and
    there are no intentions to change the choice, while cooperation
    between Armenia and the EU will continue.

    "Nobody has ever denied that relations between Armenia and Russia are
    strategic either during talks with the EU or after them. The EU's
    mistake is that they thought that the CU and European integration
    are incompatible," the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on
    Foreign Affairs, Artak Zakaryan, says.

    In general, in discussions over Armenia's choice of a development path
    a moderate and reasonable point of view prevails. Its supporters are
    sure that cooperation between Armenia and the EU will continue after
    the summit in Vilnius. An opportunity of signing the association
    agreement without DCFTA is not excluded.

    According to some experts, the Eastern Partnership program launched
    dividing lines for Armenia at the stage; it was unacceptable for
    such a small country which has problems with neighbors and security
    of which is provided by Russia. The other sensitive point of view
    is that Russia considered the Eastern Partnership as establishing
    dividing lines against it.

    In the context of another wave of the geopolitical struggle between
    Russia and the West, it is important for Armenia to take a position
    which excludes using it as a territory of clashes between world
    political centers. "We cannot belong to one system and have bad
    relations with another. Armenia is a country of compromises rather
    than contradictions. As there are Diasporas in many countries of the
    world, we should use our potential for peacemaking between Russia
    and the West, " said the former aide of the Armenian president on
    national security, Ashot Manucharyan. It seems Armenia succeeds in
    this at the current stage.

    http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/48326.html

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