STATEMENT OF EAP CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM’S ARMENIAN NATIONAL PLATFORM
18-09-2013 14:15:10 | Armenia | Politics
STATEMENT of EaP Civil Society Forum’s Armenian National Platform
17 September, 2013
With this statement, the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern
Partnership (EaP) Civil Society Platform (CSF), reconfirms its support
for the enlargement of multilateral ties between the Republic of
Armenia, foreign states and international organizations. At the same
time, we express our disagreement and deep frustration regarding the
statement of the President of the Republic of Armenia on joining the
Customs Union and participating in the formation of the Eurasian Union.
For about three and a half years, the Armenian authorities were
negotiating the Association Agreement with the EU in the framework
of the Eastern Partnership, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free
Trade Area (DCFTA) Agreement. It seems that the Armenian authorities
had shown absolute commitment to the drafting and implementation of
this crucially important document. However, the announcement by the
Armenian President came to prove exactly the opposite.
The intentions of the Armenian authorities to join the Customs Union
to the detriment of the Association Agreement with the EU contradict
their numerous statements where they have declared European integration
as a foreign policy priority.
It makes meaningless the huge efforts and expense by the Republic of
Armenia and the EU in recent years directed to holding negotiations
and drafting documents. Numerous projects aimed at implementing reforms
in different spheres of life and strengthening relations with the EU,
which demand significant resources, have now become useless.
Completed projects will not lead to any results and the current
projects are now jeopardized.
It is an unprecedented phenomenon, when a country having a far lower
level of political and economic development than the European Union,
practically refuses to be integrated in the largest economy of the
world and deepen multilateral cooperation with the most sustainable
region on the planet, and specifically, when this refusal took place
in the context of joining the Customs Union, which at this point does
not justify itself even for those countries that have already joined
it and which prospects are quite vague.
Serzh Sargsyan’s surprising announcement, which had such consequences,
caused unrecoverable damage to Armenia’s international reputation as
a trustworthy partner.
The claims of officials, politicians and some “too loyal” experts
in our country, who tried to put the blame of the failure of the
Association Agreement initialing on the Brussels’ shoulder, cannot
stand any criticism. We find the decision by the European Union not to
consider about 80 percent shortened (without deep and comprehensive
free trade agreement) document completely substantial and normal,
because no prior consultation and negotiation were held around this
new approach.
Moreover, the assessments about the economic calculations and security
risks sound quite inconclusive. If such kind of concerns could be an
obstacle on the way of association with the European Union, then they
should have been revealed and studied much earlier and not at the end
of negotiations. In that case, the preference that Yerevan gave to
the Customs Union would be considered as more worthy and acceptable
by all international partners and Armenian society. However, now all
grounds are there to talk about national humiliation.
Even if we assume, that by joining to the Customs Union the RA
authorities received some immediate benefits for security and other
spheres, there are, however, many reasons to suspect that for a
long-term perspective country will become more vulnerable in terms of
external threats. And the biggest of these threats is the tendency
to neglect the interests of Armenia by international community and
the uncontrolled process of concession of sovereignty.
Today, with the difficult social-economic situation there are new
factors arising, which only strengthen emigration, one of the most
pressing and painful problems in the Republic of Armenia.
The rumors that are being spread presumably not without the direct
involvement of the Armenian authorities, implying that the decision was
made under pressure, cannot justify the denial of previous constant
assurances about the irrevocable path towards the Association
Agreement. When such a crucial decision for the country is being
made, external factors, of course, exist, and all Eastern Partnership
countries have faced it. However, the decisions that are most stable
and protected from risks are those based on the consensus in the
society about the realization of national interests. The Armenian
government has done nothing to inform the society about the content
and benefits of the Association Agreement as well as the European
Integration in general, leaving the stage for cheap speculations
about imaginary “European values”.
All the above mentioned circumstances allow us to confirm that the
decision about the Customs Union was made based on the narrow interests
of a small circle of people, who were not intending to implement
the broader package of reforms designed within the framework of the
Eastern Partnership, more specifically, the Association Agreement.
For the current situation, the international organizations,
particularly the EU institutions have their share of responsibility.
They have been going beyond the limits of tolerance in their relations
with the Armenian authorities, many times going along with the
imitation of fulfilling obligations and choosing a “more for less”
formula. Apparently this served as basis for the Republic of Armenia’s
poltical elite to treat the EaP process without proper seriousness
and responsibility.
Another negative factor was the absence of real partnership,
understanding of mutual priorities and benefits as well as the
willingness for mutual assistance between the Eastern Partnership
countries. As a result, each of the countries was acting alone
considering the failures and drawbacks of a neighbour as their own
advantage. We hope that Armenia’s undesirable precedent will reveal
the need for change of relationships inside the “Six”.
The intention to join the Custom’s Union and the failure of initialing
the Association Agreement is a serious turnover in the areas of
internal and foreign policy, socio-economic development and many
other fields. Decisions of such importance should not be made without
discussions in the National Assembly, government, Security Council
and public debates. The lack of formal consultations sets background
for us to perceive the Armenian President’s statement on September
3rd as a part of one-man policy which we cannot consider unchangable.
In the current situation we demand from the National Assembly of the
Republic of Armenia to convene parliamentary hearings and invite
special session, which will evaluate the latest announcement of
the President of Armenia. We call on the MPs to be above political
affiliations and demonstrate a trans-partial position on the issue
of joining the Customs Union and refusing the Association Agreement,
as this choice goes beyond the interests of certain political parties
and predicts the future of Armenia for a long-term period.
We invite the representatives of the Armenian authorities to take
part in the conference of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society
Forum’s National Platform, which will take place in hotel “Hrazdan”,
on 19 September 2013, 14:00-17:00; and present the justifications
for Sargsyan’s announcement and the failure of the initialing of
Association Agreement.
We are sure that for every single citizen of the Republic of Armenia
who knows the consequences of this choice, who values the independence
which was gained through big losses and appreciates the democratic
development of the country, the decision announced on September 3
cannot be accepted.
The situation can be improved only by consolidation of non-indifferent
layers of the society and by civic activism. Irrespective of the
developments of the coming months the Armenian National Platform of
the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forums will be faithful to the
European integration process and invites all the interested people
for close cooperation.
– Politics News from Armenia and Diaspora – Noyan Tapan – See more at:
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