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EEU DEBATE: CIVIL SOCIETY MEMBERS SKEPTICAL ON RUSSIAN-LED TRADE BLOC'S FUTURE IN VIEW OF INTERNAL DISCORDS
SOCIETY | 04.12.14 | 11:51
http://armenianow.com/society/59058/armenia_eu_eurasian_union_eastern_partnership
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
While the Armenian lawmakers are discussing the question of the
country's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), civil
society representatives claim that Armenia's membership process will
eventually fail because of absence of common principles and interests.
"Contradictions of interests are already felt. We can clearly see that
the relations are quite tense with Kazakhstan and Belarus on one side,
and Russia - on the other, and Armenia's accession to this union full
of grave relationships will only complicate the possibility of its
success," Yerevan Press Club Director Boris Navasardyan said. "The
political culture in the environment where Armenia intends to appear
does not imply that someone will listen and accord with a weak player.
Armenia cannot be a key player and the mission that they attempt to
put on Armenia's shoulders is hardly possible to be carried out by
our state."
Addressing Armenia-EU relations, Navasardyan said that a new European
commission is formed in the EU which has not yet determined what policy
they will carry out with Russia, the EEU and such countries as Armenia,
which, on one hand refused the Association Agreement, and on the other,
still expresses interest to preserve relations in the political field.
"Some EU officials, some European experts think that it is necessary
to find common ground for cooperation with the EEU, and not to see it
as an opposite pole, rather to see it as a potential partner. Among
European officials there are opinions that Armenia may serve as a
bridge between the EU and the EEU. But Armenia has not determined
what it wants yet. On the one hand, the EU is ready for any format
that Armenia is ready for, and Armenia does not know what it is ready
for," he said.
Mikayel Hovhannisyan, the newly elected national coordinator of the EU
Eastern Partnership (EP) Civil Society Forum's (CSF) Armenian National
Platform, who participated in the 6th annual convention of the EP CSF
in Batumi, said that Armenia was among the least discussed countries.
The reason is the absence of clear determination - where to go and
what format to choose for bilateral relations.
Hovhannisyan said that one of the goals of the National Platform must
be constantly raising Armenia related issues both on the forum level
and in the context of bilateral relations, and to distinguish the
problems that are currently important from the Armenia-EU relations'
point of view.
Boris Navasardyan said that within the EEU in order to preserve its
sovereignty the country should differ from other EEU states.
"What Armenia can differ with, in the positive sense, is democracy,
liberty, preservation of European value system. Our government
understands this, they will resist the pressure coming from the North
as much as possible," he said.
From: Baghdasarian
SOCIETY | 04.12.14 | 11:51
http://armenianow.com/society/59058/armenia_eu_eurasian_union_eastern_partnership
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
While the Armenian lawmakers are discussing the question of the
country's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), civil
society representatives claim that Armenia's membership process will
eventually fail because of absence of common principles and interests.
"Contradictions of interests are already felt. We can clearly see that
the relations are quite tense with Kazakhstan and Belarus on one side,
and Russia - on the other, and Armenia's accession to this union full
of grave relationships will only complicate the possibility of its
success," Yerevan Press Club Director Boris Navasardyan said. "The
political culture in the environment where Armenia intends to appear
does not imply that someone will listen and accord with a weak player.
Armenia cannot be a key player and the mission that they attempt to
put on Armenia's shoulders is hardly possible to be carried out by
our state."
Addressing Armenia-EU relations, Navasardyan said that a new European
commission is formed in the EU which has not yet determined what policy
they will carry out with Russia, the EEU and such countries as Armenia,
which, on one hand refused the Association Agreement, and on the other,
still expresses interest to preserve relations in the political field.
"Some EU officials, some European experts think that it is necessary
to find common ground for cooperation with the EEU, and not to see it
as an opposite pole, rather to see it as a potential partner. Among
European officials there are opinions that Armenia may serve as a
bridge between the EU and the EEU. But Armenia has not determined
what it wants yet. On the one hand, the EU is ready for any format
that Armenia is ready for, and Armenia does not know what it is ready
for," he said.
Mikayel Hovhannisyan, the newly elected national coordinator of the EU
Eastern Partnership (EP) Civil Society Forum's (CSF) Armenian National
Platform, who participated in the 6th annual convention of the EP CSF
in Batumi, said that Armenia was among the least discussed countries.
The reason is the absence of clear determination - where to go and
what format to choose for bilateral relations.
Hovhannisyan said that one of the goals of the National Platform must
be constantly raising Armenia related issues both on the forum level
and in the context of bilateral relations, and to distinguish the
problems that are currently important from the Armenia-EU relations'
point of view.
Boris Navasardyan said that within the EEU in order to preserve its
sovereignty the country should differ from other EEU states.
"What Armenia can differ with, in the positive sense, is democracy,
liberty, preservation of European value system. Our government
understands this, they will resist the pressure coming from the North
as much as possible," he said.
From: Baghdasarian