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DISAGREEMENT OVER ARMENIA-EU JOINT STATEMENT WITHIN EU-ARMENIA PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE
21:11 * 11.02.14
There is a disagreement within the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation
Committee.
Aghvan Vardanyan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), Stepan Margaryan of the Prosperous Armenia
Party (PAP) and Nikol Pashinyan of the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) party told a press conference on Tuesday that an Armenia-EU
agreement, which was not signed at the final, 14th, meeting, should
have necessarily been approved by consensus. However, Committee
Co-Chair Samvel Farmanyan does not agree.
A lukewarm atmosphere has prevailed in the Armenia-EU relations since
September 3, which is the reason for Brussels and Yerevan missing a
chance to approve a joint document, which might have been approved
through negotiations.
"Armenia was unwilling to issue a statement so as not to provide
explanations to Russia," Pashinyan said. According to him, the process
was orchestrated from Yerevan.
"We were in Strasbourg, but found out that [Parliament Speaker]
Hovik Abrahamyan and [FM] Edward Nalbandian were negotiating."
Samvel Farmanyan stated that he was solely responsible for the document
not having been signed as he believed a joint statement should be
the result of combined opinions of two sides with equal rights.
"We could not reach an agreement on the final text. I completely
disagree with media reports claiming it to be a failure," Farmanyan
said.
According to him, a disagreement over the final text does not at all
mean a stalemate in the Armenia-EU relations. The fact should neither
be exaggerated nor played down.
The matter concerns the European Parliament's proposals relating to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which have suddenly turned unfavorable
for the Armenian side after the statement made in 2012 and not approved
at that time.
Another proposal implies the EU's greater role in the negotiation
process.
Aghvan Vardanyan said that he would support negotiations "for the
sake of signing the document and of Armenia's present-day policy
toward the European Union."
As to what is unacceptable to the Armenian members of the EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, Farmanyan said that all the
statements on Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia refer to the fundamental
international documents on people's right to self-determination as
a fundamental principle of settlement of conflicts.
"This is an answer to the question about the difference between the
previous documents and the document, which refers to the Helsinki
final act," Farmanyan said.
Armenian News - Tert.am
21:11 * 11.02.14
There is a disagreement within the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation
Committee.
Aghvan Vardanyan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), Stepan Margaryan of the Prosperous Armenia
Party (PAP) and Nikol Pashinyan of the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) party told a press conference on Tuesday that an Armenia-EU
agreement, which was not signed at the final, 14th, meeting, should
have necessarily been approved by consensus. However, Committee
Co-Chair Samvel Farmanyan does not agree.
A lukewarm atmosphere has prevailed in the Armenia-EU relations since
September 3, which is the reason for Brussels and Yerevan missing a
chance to approve a joint document, which might have been approved
through negotiations.
"Armenia was unwilling to issue a statement so as not to provide
explanations to Russia," Pashinyan said. According to him, the process
was orchestrated from Yerevan.
"We were in Strasbourg, but found out that [Parliament Speaker]
Hovik Abrahamyan and [FM] Edward Nalbandian were negotiating."
Samvel Farmanyan stated that he was solely responsible for the document
not having been signed as he believed a joint statement should be
the result of combined opinions of two sides with equal rights.
"We could not reach an agreement on the final text. I completely
disagree with media reports claiming it to be a failure," Farmanyan
said.
According to him, a disagreement over the final text does not at all
mean a stalemate in the Armenia-EU relations. The fact should neither
be exaggerated nor played down.
The matter concerns the European Parliament's proposals relating to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which have suddenly turned unfavorable
for the Armenian side after the statement made in 2012 and not approved
at that time.
Another proposal implies the EU's greater role in the negotiation
process.
Aghvan Vardanyan said that he would support negotiations "for the
sake of signing the document and of Armenia's present-day policy
toward the European Union."
As to what is unacceptable to the Armenian members of the EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, Farmanyan said that all the
statements on Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia refer to the fundamental
international documents on people's right to self-determination as
a fundamental principle of settlement of conflicts.
"This is an answer to the question about the difference between the
previous documents and the document, which refers to the Helsinki
final act," Farmanyan said.
Armenian News - Tert.am