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ARMENIA'S ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION MEANS FURTHER RESTRICTION ON ITS SOVEREIGNTY - MIKAEL HAYRAPETYAN
11:30 ~U 24.10.13
In an interview with Tert.am Chairman of the Conservative Party of
Mikael Hayrapetyan spoke of Armenia's foreign policy and domestic
political developments, Armenia's accession to the Customs Union and
cooperation with the European Union.
- Mr Harutyunyan, what is you stance on Armenia's accession to the
Customs Union. Do you think it means loss of sovereignty? What economic
prospects for Armenia do you see?
- Armenia's accession to the Customs Union will place further
restrictions on Armenia's limited sovereignty. No economic or other
positive prospects should be expected either.
- On the other hand, Belarus and Kazakhstan advise Armenia against
hurrying. Do you allow for a possibility of Armenia's not joining
any structure as our country is of no interest to other nations?
- A whole generation of people living in Kazakhstan and Belarus has
not seen presidents except for Nursultan Nazarbayev and Alexander
Lukashenko respectively. What is the value of "such out-of-date"
states' advice for civilized nations? Yes, the possibility of Armenia
not joining any structure is not ruled out - not because our country
is "of no interest to other nations." A country which has incompetent
leaders, but has been destroyed during the recent 22 years and has
worthy citizens, cannot be ignored.
- Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt told RFE/Radio Liberty that
the European Union would discuss further development of its relations
with Armenia after the European Partnership Summit in Vilnius,
Lithuania. He noted that other forms of cooperation will be discussed.
What is your opinion of the level of possible cooperation?
- You should not take his words too seriously. There are
better-informed people, with greater powers and strategic way of
thinking, in the West. We only need to realize that it is not only
Armenia's strategic task to move toward Europe, but also Europe's
strategic task to enter the South Caucasus, especially Armenia. And
this process and the responsibility for it cannot be unilateral.
Current and further cooperation with Europe and membership in
pan-European structures - irrespective of Armenia's ruling regime -
will hopefully be adequate, with our comprehensive security as the
starting point. Speaking in sports terms, the ball is now in the
court of a group of European officials. Their priority task must be
to restrain Russia's influence in Armenia, without avoiding their
responsibility for a political cost of this process.
- At present, what are Armenia's major external and internal
challenges?
- The major internal challenge implies the right to free, fair
and transparent nationwide elections. The second challenge is that
Armenia's elite should develop free thinking and keep pace with the
rest of the world.
Armenian News - Tert.am
11:30 ~U 24.10.13
In an interview with Tert.am Chairman of the Conservative Party of
Mikael Hayrapetyan spoke of Armenia's foreign policy and domestic
political developments, Armenia's accession to the Customs Union and
cooperation with the European Union.
- Mr Harutyunyan, what is you stance on Armenia's accession to the
Customs Union. Do you think it means loss of sovereignty? What economic
prospects for Armenia do you see?
- Armenia's accession to the Customs Union will place further
restrictions on Armenia's limited sovereignty. No economic or other
positive prospects should be expected either.
- On the other hand, Belarus and Kazakhstan advise Armenia against
hurrying. Do you allow for a possibility of Armenia's not joining
any structure as our country is of no interest to other nations?
- A whole generation of people living in Kazakhstan and Belarus has
not seen presidents except for Nursultan Nazarbayev and Alexander
Lukashenko respectively. What is the value of "such out-of-date"
states' advice for civilized nations? Yes, the possibility of Armenia
not joining any structure is not ruled out - not because our country
is "of no interest to other nations." A country which has incompetent
leaders, but has been destroyed during the recent 22 years and has
worthy citizens, cannot be ignored.
- Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt told RFE/Radio Liberty that
the European Union would discuss further development of its relations
with Armenia after the European Partnership Summit in Vilnius,
Lithuania. He noted that other forms of cooperation will be discussed.
What is your opinion of the level of possible cooperation?
- You should not take his words too seriously. There are
better-informed people, with greater powers and strategic way of
thinking, in the West. We only need to realize that it is not only
Armenia's strategic task to move toward Europe, but also Europe's
strategic task to enter the South Caucasus, especially Armenia. And
this process and the responsibility for it cannot be unilateral.
Current and further cooperation with Europe and membership in
pan-European structures - irrespective of Armenia's ruling regime -
will hopefully be adequate, with our comprehensive security as the
starting point. Speaking in sports terms, the ball is now in the
court of a group of European officials. Their priority task must be
to restrain Russia's influence in Armenia, without avoiding their
responsibility for a political cost of this process.
- At present, what are Armenia's major external and internal
challenges?
- The major internal challenge implies the right to free, fair
and transparent nationwide elections. The second challenge is that
Armenia's elite should develop free thinking and keep pace with the
rest of the world.
Armenian News - Tert.am