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PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH EPP CHAIRMAN
Office of the Prime Minister
www.gov.am
May 12 2011
Armenia
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met with Chairman of the European
People's Party Wilfried Martens. The meeting was followed by a briefing
the shorthand record of which is provided below.
The shorthand record of the briefing by Republic of Armenia Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Chairman of the European People's Party
Wilfried Martens
Tigran Sargsyan - We are hosting Chairman of the European People's
Party Wilfried Martens in the Republic of Armenia. You may remember
our previous meeting with Mr. Martens in Yerevan as attended the
presentation of his book. Also you may be aware that the Republican
Party of Armenia is holding membership talks with the European People's
Party. During my recent visit to Brussels, we were able to meet once
again and discuss agenda topics.
The first one was the RPA's application for EPP membership. The second
item related to the reforms pursued under the European Neighborhood
Program, in particular.
The third and last group of questions bore on the system of values:
Armenia's vision of future values, the set of values embraced by the
Republican Party of Armenia, as well as those values advocated in
the Republic of Armenia.
Welcome to Armenia, Mr. Martens! I am convinced that our dialog will
promote reforms in Armenia.
Wilfried Martens: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for invitation. It
is my second visit paid in the span of a year. I availed myself of
the Prime Minister's kind invitation to continue the dialog on the
aforementioned 3 items.
We are very much interested in following on the Neighborhood Program
with the countries of South Caucasus in the frame of the EURONEST. Our
first parliamentary assembly was completed in Brussels some two
weeks ago.
As the European People's Party, we are very much interested in having
valuable partners in other countries. An official delegation from the
EPP is coming to Armenia this fall. I hope the mission will issue a
favorable opinion, and the RPA's membership request will be given a
favorable consideration.
Secondly, it should be noted that all the government-implemented
reforms are certainly very important, including the ones concerning
the electoral code, the freedom of speech and associations and the
fight against corruption. All this demonstrates the government's
desire to bring to completion the process of reforms.
Here are those basic issues, those elements on the basis of which
we can hopefully decide that the program of the Republican Party
of Armenia meets the objectives of the core program of the European
People's Party. Indeed, a new criterion is the organization of people's
political parties.
To become an EPP member, it is necessary to accept our basic
program, to have a charter and a democracy-based vision of political
organization.
The European People's Party is planning to hold a congress on program
harmonization in 2012 considering the new challenges and those
positive developments taking place in Armenia, in particular. I do
hope that after the RPA becomes an EPP member, it will take a share
in the all-European discussions on the system of values.
Radio Liberty - Mr. Martens, the Republican Party is a right-wing
conservative party. To what extent can it be compatible with the
ideology of the European People's Party?
Wilfried Martens: The European People's Party is a European party
of Christian Democrat type. We have acted as a right-centered party
since the EPP's expansion in 1990. Our party is a mix of Christian
Democrats, conservative and centrist parties which means that we
have a right-centered bias. The Republican Party of Armenia is a
conservative one and is therefore eligible for EPP membership.
Radio Liberty - Have you had contacts with other Armenian political
forces to date?
Wilfried Martens: Yes, I have met with the representatives of four
of them, namely the Republican Party, the Prosperous Armenia Party,
the Rule-of-Law Party and the Heritage Party.
Radio Liberty - Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to follow up on the
issue which was discussed during the Lithuanian President's recent
visit to Armenia, namely that of nuclear safety: what is the outlook
of nuclear energy?
Tigran Sargsyan - You may remember me taking up the matter at a past
cabinet sitting. Account taken of the Japanese crisis, the Minister
of Economy has been charged to join all the stakeholders to review
once again our safety regulations and the situation, as a whole. The
exercise is complete.
A specialized MAGATE mission is due to arrive in Armenia this May
to conduct a two-week-long stress-test in order to reveal the strong
and weak sides of the Armenian NPP.
We are ready to host the mission and, in anticipation, we have taken
all necessary steps to raise the NPP's safety level.
Armenian Public TV - Which is the cooperation's starting point and
what is its impact?
Wilfried Martens: Based on the mission's favorable opinion, we can
decide on RPA's membership. The other 3 candidates will have go
through the same procedure. The next step is the membership decision
as an associated member-party. If so, the delegates are invited to the
political assembly and the congress of the European People's Party. I
shall also invite the President or the Prime Minister of the country
to join the plenary summit of the European People's Party.
The above-stated plenary summit is attended by the heads of State
or government. The leader of the opposition may be invited in case
we are not a ruling party. As far as Armenia is concerned, I would
rather invite the President or the Prime Minister. Let me cite a fresh
example: we accepted Moldova's Liberal Democratic Party in the month
of February. Therefore, I am going to invite the Prime Minister to
attend the upcoming plenary summit.
ARKA News Agency's question on Armenia-Turkey relations and Turkey's
EU membership
Wilfried Martens: Following the meetings between Turkish President
Abdullah Gul and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, I cherished great
hopes that we might usher in a new era of improved relationship. Now,
I am disappointed that the process was hampered because of Turkey.
Concerning Turkey's EU membership, I would like to remind you that
a most important standard for EU membership is the free movement of
people inside the European Union which is not the case with Turkey.
Anyhow, applicant countries are not allowed into the European Union
unless they meet the above key criterion. On the other side, Turkey
would largely benefit from the normalization of Armenia-Turkey
relations in terms of EU membership.
From: A. Papazian
Office of the Prime Minister
www.gov.am
May 12 2011
Armenia
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met with Chairman of the European
People's Party Wilfried Martens. The meeting was followed by a briefing
the shorthand record of which is provided below.
The shorthand record of the briefing by Republic of Armenia Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Chairman of the European People's Party
Wilfried Martens
Tigran Sargsyan - We are hosting Chairman of the European People's
Party Wilfried Martens in the Republic of Armenia. You may remember
our previous meeting with Mr. Martens in Yerevan as attended the
presentation of his book. Also you may be aware that the Republican
Party of Armenia is holding membership talks with the European People's
Party. During my recent visit to Brussels, we were able to meet once
again and discuss agenda topics.
The first one was the RPA's application for EPP membership. The second
item related to the reforms pursued under the European Neighborhood
Program, in particular.
The third and last group of questions bore on the system of values:
Armenia's vision of future values, the set of values embraced by the
Republican Party of Armenia, as well as those values advocated in
the Republic of Armenia.
Welcome to Armenia, Mr. Martens! I am convinced that our dialog will
promote reforms in Armenia.
Wilfried Martens: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for invitation. It
is my second visit paid in the span of a year. I availed myself of
the Prime Minister's kind invitation to continue the dialog on the
aforementioned 3 items.
We are very much interested in following on the Neighborhood Program
with the countries of South Caucasus in the frame of the EURONEST. Our
first parliamentary assembly was completed in Brussels some two
weeks ago.
As the European People's Party, we are very much interested in having
valuable partners in other countries. An official delegation from the
EPP is coming to Armenia this fall. I hope the mission will issue a
favorable opinion, and the RPA's membership request will be given a
favorable consideration.
Secondly, it should be noted that all the government-implemented
reforms are certainly very important, including the ones concerning
the electoral code, the freedom of speech and associations and the
fight against corruption. All this demonstrates the government's
desire to bring to completion the process of reforms.
Here are those basic issues, those elements on the basis of which
we can hopefully decide that the program of the Republican Party
of Armenia meets the objectives of the core program of the European
People's Party. Indeed, a new criterion is the organization of people's
political parties.
To become an EPP member, it is necessary to accept our basic
program, to have a charter and a democracy-based vision of political
organization.
The European People's Party is planning to hold a congress on program
harmonization in 2012 considering the new challenges and those
positive developments taking place in Armenia, in particular. I do
hope that after the RPA becomes an EPP member, it will take a share
in the all-European discussions on the system of values.
Radio Liberty - Mr. Martens, the Republican Party is a right-wing
conservative party. To what extent can it be compatible with the
ideology of the European People's Party?
Wilfried Martens: The European People's Party is a European party
of Christian Democrat type. We have acted as a right-centered party
since the EPP's expansion in 1990. Our party is a mix of Christian
Democrats, conservative and centrist parties which means that we
have a right-centered bias. The Republican Party of Armenia is a
conservative one and is therefore eligible for EPP membership.
Radio Liberty - Have you had contacts with other Armenian political
forces to date?
Wilfried Martens: Yes, I have met with the representatives of four
of them, namely the Republican Party, the Prosperous Armenia Party,
the Rule-of-Law Party and the Heritage Party.
Radio Liberty - Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to follow up on the
issue which was discussed during the Lithuanian President's recent
visit to Armenia, namely that of nuclear safety: what is the outlook
of nuclear energy?
Tigran Sargsyan - You may remember me taking up the matter at a past
cabinet sitting. Account taken of the Japanese crisis, the Minister
of Economy has been charged to join all the stakeholders to review
once again our safety regulations and the situation, as a whole. The
exercise is complete.
A specialized MAGATE mission is due to arrive in Armenia this May
to conduct a two-week-long stress-test in order to reveal the strong
and weak sides of the Armenian NPP.
We are ready to host the mission and, in anticipation, we have taken
all necessary steps to raise the NPP's safety level.
Armenian Public TV - Which is the cooperation's starting point and
what is its impact?
Wilfried Martens: Based on the mission's favorable opinion, we can
decide on RPA's membership. The other 3 candidates will have go
through the same procedure. The next step is the membership decision
as an associated member-party. If so, the delegates are invited to the
political assembly and the congress of the European People's Party. I
shall also invite the President or the Prime Minister of the country
to join the plenary summit of the European People's Party.
The above-stated plenary summit is attended by the heads of State
or government. The leader of the opposition may be invited in case
we are not a ruling party. As far as Armenia is concerned, I would
rather invite the President or the Prime Minister. Let me cite a fresh
example: we accepted Moldova's Liberal Democratic Party in the month
of February. Therefore, I am going to invite the Prime Minister to
attend the upcoming plenary summit.
ARKA News Agency's question on Armenia-Turkey relations and Turkey's
EU membership
Wilfried Martens: Following the meetings between Turkish President
Abdullah Gul and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, I cherished great
hopes that we might usher in a new era of improved relationship. Now,
I am disappointed that the process was hampered because of Turkey.
Concerning Turkey's EU membership, I would like to remind you that
a most important standard for EU membership is the free movement of
people inside the European Union which is not the case with Turkey.
Anyhow, applicant countries are not allowed into the European Union
unless they meet the above key criterion. On the other side, Turkey
would largely benefit from the normalization of Armenia-Turkey
relations in terms of EU membership.
From: A. Papazian