SECURITY GUARANTOR OR SOURCE OF INTIMIDATIONS?
October 10 2013
Martha Ayvazyan, former head of RA MFA NATO department, about practical
steps and programs of our “strategic partner” against our interests
– On September 3, in Moscow, Serzh Sargsyan expressed the desire of
Armenia “to join the Customs Union, and to be engaged in the process
of formation the Eurasian Economic Union.” If Armenia, nonetheless,
becomes the member of this structure, in what way it is possible to
do, through a referendum, amending the clauses of the Constitutional
that are not subject to amendment, in other words, endangering
the sovereignty and independence of Armenia. – According to the RA
legislation, the RA President, the National Assembly and the Government
have the right to appoint a referendum. In other words, holding a
referendum is totally dependent on the desire of the authorities. The
authorities, in their turn, insist that joining the CU is not in
conflict with our Constitution, the legislation, and absolutely
does not endanger our independence and sovereignty. And no matter
what threats joining the CU actually contains, I consider holding
any referendum at this moment is unlikely. So, if the CU membership
documents are signed, then they will pass through the procedures
stipulated by our legislation for the international agreements. The
situation can be changed if there are serious protests against
this decision, pressures initiated by the vast layers of society
and political opposition, or if the authorities or a part of the
authorities, for whatever reasons, decide extend or even subvert
the process in the framework on NA or even through a referendum. –
Recently, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan during the meeting with
the students of the Russian Slavic University expressed an opinion
that defense capability of our neighbors is increasingly becoming
the offensive capabilities, and in this respect, “provision of our
security would be extremely difficult without Russia, if it were
only Azerbaijan, we would not have a problem.” On the background to
justify the statement on desire of joining the CU, we recently also
come across to justification from the ruling RPA party that “it is
a security issue.” Who ensures our security, and how is ensured and
how it should be ensured from now on, and whether it’s possible only
through joining the CU? – It is evident that joining the CU is in
contrast to economic as well as political interests of the Republic
of Armenia and our citizens. Given the fact to the CU character,
geographic format and structure, we can also say that Armenia’s
membership for this organization, unlike Ukraine, is absolutely not
important. Therefore, this move, which Serzh Sargsyan did as a result
of pressure and blackmail, to the point, the main object of blackmail,
in my opinion, was the issue of Sargsyan’s tenure and personal safety,
is due to the RF’s imperial ambitions and political interests, and not
due to the issue of establishment of the CU as an economic structure,
and moreover, not to the interests of Armenia. The authorities do not
even hide that joining the CU is not due to economic interests, and
this decision is continually motivated by the issue of provision of
“security” and confronting security “threats”. Generally, speculation
on provision of security and intimidation, concealing the real dangers
and threats exaggerated for illusory or for political purposes,
as well as deliberate distortion of reality with imaginary dangers
and cause and effect relationship thereof belonging to different
categories and placed in the same spheres, and on different planes
to justify their own moves, and to keep the society in misleading, is
the most common phenomenon, namely, in Armenia’s political and social
life. However, what are the main real intimidations of our security,
how they are comparable with the size, quality and content of our
military cooperation with Russia, and tolerance of Armenia for the
sake of these intimidations to the detriment of their own sovereignty,
their own interests, the concession and powers attributed to the RF
today. To tell directly that the intimidation of military action by
Turkey against Armenia is extremely exaggerated, if not fictional,
there is no logical and reasoned justification to the interests of
Turkey in case of aggression, while the magnitude of political losses
is apparent that Turkey would have as a result of it. The only real
intimidations of our security are due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
and, today, the conflict resolution and establishment of sustainable
peace is the basic guarantee for their neutralization, which, in its
turn, will have a positive impact on Armenia-Turkey relations. Also, it
is very important to have reliable and stable relations with Georgia,
which are not mediated with interests of other countries. These
developments will open the way to full-fledged regional cooperation,
and the creation of a single economic space, and in the future, in the
range of appropriateness, maintaining bilateral military cooperation
with the Russians, it would be also possible to be included in the
same security system with three South Caucasus countries, which,
in my opinion, is the best option for our security.
It is obvious that such developments are contrary to the interests
of the RF in the region, whose only “support” in the South Caucasus
is Armenia, and who sees the guarantee of its impact and extensive
presence in the region only in manipulation of intimidations, tension
and preservation of military situation and deepening the dependence
of Armenia, up to elimination of sovereignty in practice, and does
everything for preservation of this situation. Here are some fresh
examples of plans and practical steps of our “strategic partner”
that are obviously in contrast to our interests, add tension and
intimidation to our security: continuous supply with offensive
weapons to Azerbaijan, and incitement of the arms race, extension of
the term of military base in Gyumri with the right to participate
in RA decision making on associated security and with intimidation
of implementing transit through the territory of Georgia without the
consent of the Georgian authorities, turning the Stepanakert airport
into the Russian military base in exchange for returning some of
the territories of NKR to Azerbaijan, and plans under discussion
to execute control over the Armenia-Georgian border, and, finally,
suspension of signing the EU Association Agreement in the case, when
it absolutely was not in contrast to military cooperation with the RF.
– European Commission for Enlargement and European Neighborhood
Policy Commissioner Stefan Fule, recently, noted that the European
Commission is ready to seek new forms of cooperation with Armenia. Is
the EU Association process for Armenia finally lost, or there can be
found ways to proceed in this direction? – For Armenia, the process
of development and deepening the relations with the EU, within the
framework of the Association Agreement, or in any other format, at this
point is not yet lost, even because the EU’s interests in our region,
the desire to establish peace and stability in the South Caucasus,
did not end with the decision of our authorities to join the CU,
and the EU will still continued to seek new forms and ways, and to
execute an involvement policy, within the range of possibilities. But
the success of this policy, Armenia’s prospect of European integration,
the intensity and effectiveness of the EU’s efforts in this direction
depends on our internal demand, and on the formation of reliable
partners for the EU in the political arena and society of Armenia,
and bearing responsibilities for their actions and words.
They must be forces whose basis and objective of value system,
ideologies and actions would be the national interests of Armenia,
and not servicing for the interest of other states; the interests,
security and future of RA citizen, and who will be ready to provide the
security of Armenia through establishment of stable peace and regional
cooperation. However, the factor of the time should always be taken
into account, what is appropriate and possible still today, might be
useless or even impossible tomorrow, like Armenia’s integration in the
conditions of loss of sovereignty and the current volume of emigration.
Emma GABRIELYAN
Read more at:
http://en.aravot.am/2013/10/10/161981/