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ARMENIA ABSTAINING IN PACE: A MISTAKE OR STATE POLICY?
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 5 2015
5 February 2015 - 2:29pm
Natalia Ustinova, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Yesterday in Vestnik Kavkaza's studio, Russian senator Igor Morozov
addressed the parliamentary delegations of Azerbaijan, Serbia, Cyprus
and other countries to thank them for their vote against the PACE
resolution which deprived Russia of voting rights in the structure
of the Council of Europe. "Delegates from the parliaments of Austria,
Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy contributed
to it a lot. They also voted and spoke against restricted measures
against Russia with high political courage," Morozov said, expressing
the view that MPs realize what is happening "on the big chessboard."
160 MPs supported the resolution on depriving Russia of voting rights;
42 MPs voted against it; 11 abstained. Three Armenian MPs were suddenly
among the number of those who abstained - members of the Republican
Party Ermine Nagdalyan and Naira Karapetyam, and a member of Orinats
Erkir, Mger Shakhgeldyan. There should have been more Armenian MPs
in the PACE hall, but they were absent.
It is interesting that the position of "the strategic partner
of Russia" - Armenia - was so unexpected that some mass media
had included Armenian MPs on the list of Russia's supporters in
PACE automatically. A Latvian portal published an article headlined
"Humiliation of Russia: How did Delegates vote?": "Due to the situation
in Ukraine, Russia was deprived of voting rights in PACE. It turned
out that delegates of only four countries didn't support the PACE
decision to the full extent - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cyprus and Serbia."
The Armenian MPs gave a very strategic and partnership explanation
of their behavior: "Our delegation is small, and 3-4 votes couldn't
change anything or influence the results of the vote."
Their hope to pretend that there was no problem and it would be solved
somehow automatically didn't come true. Artak Zakaryan, the head of
the permanent parliamentary commission for foreign contacts, a MP
from the Republican Party, had to make a statement: "Our delegation
voted according to its interests. It cannot be considered as voting
against Russia. Armenia is an independent state and relies on its
own interests."
It seems national interests were the reason for the epidemic among
Armenian MPs who were absent from the PACE session. Opposition MPs
and the secretary of Prosperous Armenia also failed to arrive in
Strasbourg due to health problems.
It is difficult to say what Moscow will do. Obviously, its reaction is
diplomatic and restrained. However, today Russia expects support from
its allies like never before. Some experts think that the Armenian
authorities are trying to draw Russia's attention to their serious
claims by such behavior in PACE.
However, considering Morozov's words, Moscow has already come to
conclusions and realized who are stable supporters of development
of relations with Russia at a strategic level, and who follows
tactical goals. Experts predict that Moscow's treatment of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict will shift in favor of Baku, which
doesn't want to become a priority vector of Russian foreign policy,
unlike Yerevan, but wants to get some support in certain regional
projects from Moscow.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/65840.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 5 2015
5 February 2015 - 2:29pm
Natalia Ustinova, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Yesterday in Vestnik Kavkaza's studio, Russian senator Igor Morozov
addressed the parliamentary delegations of Azerbaijan, Serbia, Cyprus
and other countries to thank them for their vote against the PACE
resolution which deprived Russia of voting rights in the structure
of the Council of Europe. "Delegates from the parliaments of Austria,
Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany and Italy contributed
to it a lot. They also voted and spoke against restricted measures
against Russia with high political courage," Morozov said, expressing
the view that MPs realize what is happening "on the big chessboard."
160 MPs supported the resolution on depriving Russia of voting rights;
42 MPs voted against it; 11 abstained. Three Armenian MPs were suddenly
among the number of those who abstained - members of the Republican
Party Ermine Nagdalyan and Naira Karapetyam, and a member of Orinats
Erkir, Mger Shakhgeldyan. There should have been more Armenian MPs
in the PACE hall, but they were absent.
It is interesting that the position of "the strategic partner
of Russia" - Armenia - was so unexpected that some mass media
had included Armenian MPs on the list of Russia's supporters in
PACE automatically. A Latvian portal published an article headlined
"Humiliation of Russia: How did Delegates vote?": "Due to the situation
in Ukraine, Russia was deprived of voting rights in PACE. It turned
out that delegates of only four countries didn't support the PACE
decision to the full extent - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cyprus and Serbia."
The Armenian MPs gave a very strategic and partnership explanation
of their behavior: "Our delegation is small, and 3-4 votes couldn't
change anything or influence the results of the vote."
Their hope to pretend that there was no problem and it would be solved
somehow automatically didn't come true. Artak Zakaryan, the head of
the permanent parliamentary commission for foreign contacts, a MP
from the Republican Party, had to make a statement: "Our delegation
voted according to its interests. It cannot be considered as voting
against Russia. Armenia is an independent state and relies on its
own interests."
It seems national interests were the reason for the epidemic among
Armenian MPs who were absent from the PACE session. Opposition MPs
and the secretary of Prosperous Armenia also failed to arrive in
Strasbourg due to health problems.
It is difficult to say what Moscow will do. Obviously, its reaction is
diplomatic and restrained. However, today Russia expects support from
its allies like never before. Some experts think that the Armenian
authorities are trying to draw Russia's attention to their serious
claims by such behavior in PACE.
However, considering Morozov's words, Moscow has already come to
conclusions and realized who are stable supporters of development
of relations with Russia at a strategic level, and who follows
tactical goals. Experts predict that Moscow's treatment of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict will shift in favor of Baku, which
doesn't want to become a priority vector of Russian foreign policy,
unlike Yerevan, but wants to get some support in certain regional
projects from Moscow.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/65840.html