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Sargsyan: No country should be forced to pay price for integration choice
Saturday, April 26, 2014
`Over the past five years Armenia and the European Union have done an
extensive work: our political dialogue has been consolidated, we have
taken joint efforts at responding to multifarious challenges. We have
agreed upon and applied a visa-facilitation mechanism, which is one
among the first tangible outcomes of our partnership,' Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan said during the second day of the high-level
meeting of Eastern Partnership, according to the presidential press
service.
`Assessing the road covered by the Eastern Partnership we can note
that at the end of the day it was successful. As I said on numerous
other occasions, it first of all provided the partner countries with
an opportunity to coordinate and expand their domestic reforms. We
have grounded it in shared values and consolidated the foundation for
our collaboration,' the president said.
`Armenia has got an opportunity to participate in different EU
programs and thus enlarged the framework of its sectoral cooperation.
We are committed to taking further steps with our EU partners in order
to form a new legal foundation regulating our relations, which on one
hand will reflect the contents of Armenia's preceding discussions with
the EU, and on the other hand will be compatible with other formats
for cooperation.
It is our conviction that none of the partner countries should be
forced to pay a price for the decision it makes regarding its
participation level in this or that integration process. We do not
want to make a choice between friends, but we want to have as many
friends as possible.
I believe that we have chosen the right path. The Eastern Partnership
is not solely about an association agreement. It is basically an
instrument. When we declared our approach of `both¦ and¦' we meant an
opportunity that envisages alternative, and not a choice of this or
that instrument of cooperation. I am confident that if we continue to
abide by shared values and respect each other's decisions and choice
our cooperation will proceed by the right path.
We sincerely believe that only through the avenue of cooperation and
joint steps it is possible to materialize the vision of the united
Europe in peace and prosperity.
In the end, I would like to note once again that the Eastern
Partnership had some problems in its formation period yet.
Particularly, the criterion of grouping partners was not clear: the
countries differed in their approaches, their goals and I think that
this is the reason that at least of the Eastern Partnership's
components ` the regional cooperation component ` was doomed to
failure. I still do not understand the criterion of grouping Armenia
and Azerbaijan into one partnership ` different opportunities,
different approaches, different goals ` and this is the reason that
component did not work. I am confident that in any case the
partnership will continue and I am sure that there will be
difficulties as they exist today, but I am also confident that all
those difficulties will be addressed by peaceful means', Serzh
Sargsyan stated.
25.04.2014, 20:00
Aysor.am
Saturday, April 26, 2014
`Over the past five years Armenia and the European Union have done an
extensive work: our political dialogue has been consolidated, we have
taken joint efforts at responding to multifarious challenges. We have
agreed upon and applied a visa-facilitation mechanism, which is one
among the first tangible outcomes of our partnership,' Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan said during the second day of the high-level
meeting of Eastern Partnership, according to the presidential press
service.
`Assessing the road covered by the Eastern Partnership we can note
that at the end of the day it was successful. As I said on numerous
other occasions, it first of all provided the partner countries with
an opportunity to coordinate and expand their domestic reforms. We
have grounded it in shared values and consolidated the foundation for
our collaboration,' the president said.
`Armenia has got an opportunity to participate in different EU
programs and thus enlarged the framework of its sectoral cooperation.
We are committed to taking further steps with our EU partners in order
to form a new legal foundation regulating our relations, which on one
hand will reflect the contents of Armenia's preceding discussions with
the EU, and on the other hand will be compatible with other formats
for cooperation.
It is our conviction that none of the partner countries should be
forced to pay a price for the decision it makes regarding its
participation level in this or that integration process. We do not
want to make a choice between friends, but we want to have as many
friends as possible.
I believe that we have chosen the right path. The Eastern Partnership
is not solely about an association agreement. It is basically an
instrument. When we declared our approach of `both¦ and¦' we meant an
opportunity that envisages alternative, and not a choice of this or
that instrument of cooperation. I am confident that if we continue to
abide by shared values and respect each other's decisions and choice
our cooperation will proceed by the right path.
We sincerely believe that only through the avenue of cooperation and
joint steps it is possible to materialize the vision of the united
Europe in peace and prosperity.
In the end, I would like to note once again that the Eastern
Partnership had some problems in its formation period yet.
Particularly, the criterion of grouping partners was not clear: the
countries differed in their approaches, their goals and I think that
this is the reason that at least of the Eastern Partnership's
components ` the regional cooperation component ` was doomed to
failure. I still do not understand the criterion of grouping Armenia
and Azerbaijan into one partnership ` different opportunities,
different approaches, different goals ` and this is the reason that
component did not work. I am confident that in any case the
partnership will continue and I am sure that there will be
difficulties as they exist today, but I am also confident that all
those difficulties will be addressed by peaceful means', Serzh
Sargsyan stated.
25.04.2014, 20:00
Aysor.am