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Strategic Pressure of the Strategic Ally
May 24 2013
According to David Shahnazaryan, the Russian Federation tries to
prevent enhancement of relations between the Republic of Armenia and
the European Union and signing of the EU Association Agreement. * Mr.
Shahnazaryan, how will you describe the internal political situation,
what does the post-election period stand out for? * As a result of
three elections within one year, the whole political system in Armenia
has proved its irrelevance and incompetence. The political system in
its current state cannot ensure any progress. Basically, neither the
government nor the opposition nor non-government organizations have
political content and work style, and they have separated themselves
from society. The government continues to be oligarchic, doesn't carry
out political government, promises of political changes are up in the
air, and current government hasn't taken any step yet, by which it
would prove that it intended to lead Armenia along the path of normal
development, although it has the capacity to do that. Selective
adherence to principles, nonpublic, shadow functions and deals
dominate the opposition camp. The opposition hasn't developed a
political agenda appropriate to the situation, except for
revolutionary scenarios. The democratic opposition, maturity of which
is a must these days, is undeveloped and immature. * What agenda
should the opposition forces have developed? * The revolutionary
non-ideological approaches of disorder and disobedience dominate the
opposition camp. The most important issue is real separation of
executive, legislative and judicial branches of power, but one should
first of all achieve separation of business and politics not only
inside the government, but also in the non-government and opposition
parts of the political system. One of the pivotal issues on the
political agenda should be signing of the Association Agreement
between Armenia and the EU and consistent implementation of
obligations stemming from that agreement. This is an unprecedented
opportunity for Armenia to switch from a criminal oligarchic country
to a developing state. This is just an opportunity, a chance, seizing
which will require travelling a hard and difficult road, for which
both the government and the opposition should have unequivocal
political will, whereas the current political system in its current
state is unable to do that. If we miss this opportunity, Armenia will
be set back, and morals, which exist in Russia, will take root -
persecutions of opposition and civil society. Association with the EU
should become a nonpartisan goal, in which civil society should play a
huge part. * After the elections, the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)
leader stated that the PAP could not be opposition, but there are
heated debates now as to how one should understand that statement;
everyone gives his own explanation to the PAP's being or not being
opposition. You have expressed your position on the PAP many times;
nonetheless, what can you say about the latest developments related to
the PAP? * It is a meaningless question whether the PAP is opposition
or not, since the PAP is not a political organization, to begin with;
it hasn't been established as such and has never been such. A
political force cannot avoid responsibility, which is characteristic
of the PAP both at the time when it was in power and now when it is
formally not in power. A force that has always used the government's
backdoor favor and whose representatives have made contradictory
assessments, avoid political responsibility cannot be opposition.
Combination of charity for political reasons, economic monopolies,
business and crime and simultaneous synthesis of influences on the
opposition camp are not only incompatible with politics, but are also
destructive for any country's political system. The PAP thinks that
all the troubles of Armenia have started in the past one year, i.e.
when it withdrew from the ruling coalition. It is obvious that they
share the opinion of some circles in Russia that the oligarchic system
in Armenia developed in 2009-2010.... By the way, the PAP and forces
supporting it are proponents of Armenia's membership in the Customs
Union and the Eurasian Union. * Can the reason for the fuss about the
increase in gas prices be the latest developments in the relations
between Armenia and the EU? Do you agree with the opinion expressed by
many people these days that the Russian side proposes a change in gas
prices as a result of our willingness to sign the EU Association
Agreement? * This is a direct consequence of the former government's,
Kocharyan's and Oskanian's, foreign policy; during their tenure, very
important strategic facilities, including almost the whole energy
system, in particular the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline whose diameter is
small as it is, were handed over to Russia. Russia's abruptly
increasing the gas prices is political pressure on Armenia, which aims
at preventing enhancement of the relations between Armenia and the
European Union, as well as signing of the EU Association agreement.
This is Armenia's strategic ally's pressure on Armenia that pursues
strategic aims. I think that these pressures exerted by Russia will be
continuous and will not be confined to use of gas levers. The
government has hushed up the increase in gas prices, and generally,
the government avoids talking about these challenges in public, since
it doesn't act as the representative of Armenian society. It would be
possible to resist this gas pressure exerted by Russia, as well as
other expected pressures in the future, if the government was engaged
in political activities, was guided exceptionally by the interests of
state and society. The apolitical activities of the Armenian
government are not appropriate to the external and internal
challenges. The government should take immediate measures to build a
new, 1400mm- diameter gas pipeline parallel to the existing Iranian
gas pipeline, which may become a transit pipeline in the future, and
it should not be turned over to some third state. EMMA GABRIELYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/05/24/154474/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
May 24 2013
According to David Shahnazaryan, the Russian Federation tries to
prevent enhancement of relations between the Republic of Armenia and
the European Union and signing of the EU Association Agreement. * Mr.
Shahnazaryan, how will you describe the internal political situation,
what does the post-election period stand out for? * As a result of
three elections within one year, the whole political system in Armenia
has proved its irrelevance and incompetence. The political system in
its current state cannot ensure any progress. Basically, neither the
government nor the opposition nor non-government organizations have
political content and work style, and they have separated themselves
from society. The government continues to be oligarchic, doesn't carry
out political government, promises of political changes are up in the
air, and current government hasn't taken any step yet, by which it
would prove that it intended to lead Armenia along the path of normal
development, although it has the capacity to do that. Selective
adherence to principles, nonpublic, shadow functions and deals
dominate the opposition camp. The opposition hasn't developed a
political agenda appropriate to the situation, except for
revolutionary scenarios. The democratic opposition, maturity of which
is a must these days, is undeveloped and immature. * What agenda
should the opposition forces have developed? * The revolutionary
non-ideological approaches of disorder and disobedience dominate the
opposition camp. The most important issue is real separation of
executive, legislative and judicial branches of power, but one should
first of all achieve separation of business and politics not only
inside the government, but also in the non-government and opposition
parts of the political system. One of the pivotal issues on the
political agenda should be signing of the Association Agreement
between Armenia and the EU and consistent implementation of
obligations stemming from that agreement. This is an unprecedented
opportunity for Armenia to switch from a criminal oligarchic country
to a developing state. This is just an opportunity, a chance, seizing
which will require travelling a hard and difficult road, for which
both the government and the opposition should have unequivocal
political will, whereas the current political system in its current
state is unable to do that. If we miss this opportunity, Armenia will
be set back, and morals, which exist in Russia, will take root -
persecutions of opposition and civil society. Association with the EU
should become a nonpartisan goal, in which civil society should play a
huge part. * After the elections, the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)
leader stated that the PAP could not be opposition, but there are
heated debates now as to how one should understand that statement;
everyone gives his own explanation to the PAP's being or not being
opposition. You have expressed your position on the PAP many times;
nonetheless, what can you say about the latest developments related to
the PAP? * It is a meaningless question whether the PAP is opposition
or not, since the PAP is not a political organization, to begin with;
it hasn't been established as such and has never been such. A
political force cannot avoid responsibility, which is characteristic
of the PAP both at the time when it was in power and now when it is
formally not in power. A force that has always used the government's
backdoor favor and whose representatives have made contradictory
assessments, avoid political responsibility cannot be opposition.
Combination of charity for political reasons, economic monopolies,
business and crime and simultaneous synthesis of influences on the
opposition camp are not only incompatible with politics, but are also
destructive for any country's political system. The PAP thinks that
all the troubles of Armenia have started in the past one year, i.e.
when it withdrew from the ruling coalition. It is obvious that they
share the opinion of some circles in Russia that the oligarchic system
in Armenia developed in 2009-2010.... By the way, the PAP and forces
supporting it are proponents of Armenia's membership in the Customs
Union and the Eurasian Union. * Can the reason for the fuss about the
increase in gas prices be the latest developments in the relations
between Armenia and the EU? Do you agree with the opinion expressed by
many people these days that the Russian side proposes a change in gas
prices as a result of our willingness to sign the EU Association
Agreement? * This is a direct consequence of the former government's,
Kocharyan's and Oskanian's, foreign policy; during their tenure, very
important strategic facilities, including almost the whole energy
system, in particular the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline whose diameter is
small as it is, were handed over to Russia. Russia's abruptly
increasing the gas prices is political pressure on Armenia, which aims
at preventing enhancement of the relations between Armenia and the
European Union, as well as signing of the EU Association agreement.
This is Armenia's strategic ally's pressure on Armenia that pursues
strategic aims. I think that these pressures exerted by Russia will be
continuous and will not be confined to use of gas levers. The
government has hushed up the increase in gas prices, and generally,
the government avoids talking about these challenges in public, since
it doesn't act as the representative of Armenian society. It would be
possible to resist this gas pressure exerted by Russia, as well as
other expected pressures in the future, if the government was engaged
in political activities, was guided exceptionally by the interests of
state and society. The apolitical activities of the Armenian
government are not appropriate to the external and internal
challenges. The government should take immediate measures to build a
new, 1400mm- diameter gas pipeline parallel to the existing Iranian
gas pipeline, which may become a transit pipeline in the future, and
it should not be turned over to some third state. EMMA GABRIELYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/05/24/154474/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia