SAMVEL FARMANYAN: TO MAKE PROGRESS IN THE NEGOTIATIONS, THE PARTIES SHOULD SIGN A TREATY OF THE NON-RESUMPTION OF MILITARY ACTION
ArmInfo’s interview with Samvel Farmanyan, MP, Chairman of the
Armenian Delegation to EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee,
National Assembly of Armenia
ARMINFO
Friday, May 31, 16:23
There has been much talk about deteriorating Armenian-Russian relations
that have resulted in the rising gas price. Do you agree with those
statements?
Energy sources have always been of extreme importance in the
geopolitical and geo-economic processes. Over the last twenty years,
this has become more visible in our region and to us. As one of the
countries having the largest oil and gas resources in the world,
Russia, naturally, has been trying to gain as much profit from its
resources as possible over the last years, which is quite legitimate.
Therefore, it would be naive thinking that Russia should not pursue
geopolitical goals when supplying energy sources to friendly and
partner counties. Besides the geopolitical factor, there is also
economic factor that is, probably, the primary one nowadays. After all,
gas is a product that is expensive in the global market. No matter
what country exports gas, the tariff generally depends on the given
two important factors.
As for the Armenian-Russian relations, I’d like to recall that Russia
has been exporting gas to Armenia basing on the Armenian-Russian
strategic partnership for long years. It was under presidency of
Serzh Sargsyan that Russia began emphasizing the energy policy as
an important lever of its foreign policy. Now, Russian gas tariff it
not the highest comparing to other countries.
I think the negotiations for the gas tariff have always been based on
the given logic: Armenia understands that Russia cannot determine the
gas tariff only on the basis of its geopolitical interests and the
strategic alliance with Armenia neglecting the economic factor and
its friendly relations with other countries it exports energy sources.
Instead, Armenia expects Russia to determine a special tariff for
Armenia given the special relations with our country and negative
impact of the price hike on our social and economic life. I think,
Russia, in turn, agrees that the gas tariff cannot but be adequate
to the special relations with Armenia and has certain political
expectations from Armenia.
In the context of the new gas tariff and other factor, the
Armenian-Russian relations are said to be not as good as before.
Instead, the relations with the EU, and generally, with the West,
have improved recently.
The Republic of Armenia has different level of cooperation with its
partners depending on the national and state interests. This is the
cost of independence and the potential of independence. Small but
with rich history and experience, Armenia is open for deeper relations
with its partners.
As for the relations with Russia and the EU, there are no
contradictions here. Such talks and questions have become quite
frequent recently ahead of the Vilnius Summit. Now, when Armenia
is completing the negotiations with the Association Agreement, many
perceive the Agreement as a blow over the Armenian-Russian strategic
partnership. Our relations with Russia are so deep and significant
that Armenia will never develop relations with other power centers
at the expense of the relations with Russia. Why? This is because we
are in the same security system with Russia, which is a strong and,
at present, the only security guarantee for Armenia. In such explosive
region Armenia can in no way endanger its security guarantees.
Fortunately, in the relations with the EU, Brussels has never displayed
any approaches that would set a choice before us.
Armenia, in turn, pursues its interests as an independent state. Our
relations with the EU are important and no one can argue that during
the first term of President Serzh Sargsyan those relations attained
new quality and reached a level that even the most active supporters of
rapprochement with Europe could not imagine years ago. The successful
negotiations for the Association Agreement and the new agenda of the
Yerevan-Brussels relations are mutually obliging.
There is no progress in the Karabakh peace negotiations. Do you have
any expectations from the process for the short-term outlook?
A breakthrough in the process till the end of the year is not
realistic, at least, because of the upcoming presidential election
in Azerbaijan. Negotiations are going around in a circle and it is
Azerbaijan that is responsible for that. Cult of power, trigger-happy
policy, this is what has become a priority for official Baku. Such
policy implies xenophobia, enmity, unexpected distortion of historical
facts etc.
In such situation, a starting point for a breakthrough in the
negotiations is confidence building between the parties. The parties
need a treaty on non-resumption of military actions or on non-use of
force, or at least a similar agreement in terms of a statement.
Without confidence building between the parties, first of all, Karabakh
and Azerbaijan, any solution, even if forced by the world community,
will remain on paper.
We are in a no war no peace situation now. Azerbaijan still breaches
the ceasefire neglecting the documents it has signed and the efforts
of the international mediators.
It is not a secret that Azerbaijan blames Armenia for non-constructive
position and the OSCE Minsk Group for insufficient measures in the
negotiation process.
The OSCE Minsk Group is doing its best. The mediators cannot adopt
political decision or achieve mutual agreements instead of the
conflicting parties. Azerbaijan blames the Minsk Group with the only
goal to show that lack of breakthrough in the negotiation process is
connected with a factor that does not exist. It is obvious, however,
that it is part of Azerbaijan’s propaganda. The world community, first
of all, the mediators are well aware of the real state of affairs.
As for the allegations against Armenia, they are absurd. Armenia has
been extremely consistent and open throughout the process pursuing
peaceful resolution of the conflict. In the meanwhile, Azerbaijan
has been threatening with forced resolution of the conflict even at
the most active stages of negotiations. However, there is no solution
to the conflict by force and in Baku they are well aware of that. It
turns out that they have led themselves to a stalemate.
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From: Mihran Keheyian
Subject: Samvel Farmanyan: To make progress in the negotiations, the parties
should sign a treaty of the non-resumption of military action
Samvel Farmanyan: To make progress in the negotiations, the parties
should sign a treaty of the non-resumption of military action
ArmInfo?s interview with Samvel Farmanyan, MP, Chairman of the
Armenian Delegation to EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee,
National Assembly of Armenia
ARMINFO
Friday, May 31, 16:23
There has been much talk about deteriorating Armenian-Russian
relations that have resulted in the rising gas price. Do you agree
with those statements?
Energy sources have always been of extreme importance in the
geopolitical and geo-economic processes. Over the last twenty years,
this has become more visible in our region and to us. As one of the
countries having the largest oil and gas resources in the world,
Russia, naturally, has been trying to gain as much profit from its
resources as possible over the last years, which is quite legitimate.
Therefore, it would be naive thinking that Russia should not pursue
geopolitical goals when supplying energy sources to friendly and
partner counties. Besides the geopolitical factor, there is also
economic factor that is, probably, the primary one nowadays. After
all, gas is a product that is expensive in the global market. No
matter what country exports gas, the tariff generally depends on the
given two important factors.
As for the Armenian-Russian relations, I?d like to recall that Russia
has been exporting gas to Armenia basing on the Armenian-Russian
strategic partnership for long years. It was under presidency of Serzh
Sargsyan that Russia began emphasizing the energy policy as an
important lever of its foreign policy. Now, Russian gas tariff it not
the highest comparing to other countries.
I think the negotiations for the gas tariff have always been based on
the given logic: Armenia understands that Russia cannot determine the
gas tariff only on the basis of its geopolitical interests and the
strategic alliance with Armenia neglecting the economic factor and its
friendly relations with other countries it exports energy sources.
Instead, Armenia expects Russia to determine a special tariff for
Armenia given the special relations with our country and negative
impact of the price hike on our social and economic life. I think,
Russia, in turn, agrees that the gas tariff cannot but be adequate to
the special relations with Armenia and has certain political
expectations from Armenia.
In the context of the new gas tariff and other factor, the
Armenian-Russian relations are said to be not as good as before.
Instead, the relations with the EU, and generally, with the West, have
improved recently.
The Republic of Armenia has different level of cooperation with its
partners depending on the national and state interests. This is the
cost of independence and the potential of independence. Small but with
rich history and experience, Armenia is open for deeper relations with
its partners.
As for the relations with Russia and the EU, there are no
contradictions here. Such talks and questions have become quite
frequent recently ahead of the Vilnius Summit. Now, when Armenia is
completing the negotiations with the Association Agreement, many
perceive the Agreement as a blow over the Armenian-Russian strategic
partnership. Our relations with Russia are so deep and significant
that Armenia will never develop relations with other power centers at
the expense of the relations with Russia. Why? This is because we are
in the same security system with Russia, which is a strong and, at
present, the only security guarantee for Armenia. In such explosive
region Armenia can in no way endanger its security guarantees.
Fortunately, in the relations with the EU, Brussels has never
displayed any approaches that would set a choice before us.
Armenia, in turn, pursues its interests as an independent state. Our
relations with the EU are important and no one can argue that during
the first term of President Serzh Sargsyan those relations attained
new quality and reached a level that even the most active supporters
of rapprochement with Europe could not imagine years ago. The
successful negotiations for the Association Agreement and the new
agenda of the Yerevan-Brussels relations are mutually obliging.
There is no progress in the Karabakh peace negotiations. Do you have
any expectations from the process for the short-term outlook?
A breakthrough in the process till the end of the year is not
realistic, at least, because of the upcoming presidential election in
Azerbaijan. Negotiations are going around in a circle and it is
Azerbaijan that is responsible for that. Cult of power, trigger-happy
policy, this is what has become a priority for official Baku. Such
policy implies xenophobia, enmity, unexpected distortion of historical
facts etc.
In such situation, a starting point for a breakthrough in the
negotiations is confidence building between the parties. The parties
need a treaty on non-resumption of military actions or on non-use of
force, or at least a similar agreement in terms of a statement.
Without confidence building between the parties, first of all,
Karabakh and Azerbaijan, any solution, even if forced by the world
community, will remain on paper.
We are in a no war no peace situation now. Azerbaijan still breaches
the ceasefire neglecting the documents it has signed and the efforts
of the international mediators.
It is not a secret that Azerbaijan blames Armenia for
non-constructive position and the OSCE Minsk Group for insufficient
measures in the negotiation process.
The OSCE Minsk Group is doing its best. The mediators cannot adopt
political decision or achieve mutual agreements instead of the
conflicting parties. Azerbaijan blames the Minsk Group with the only
goal to show that lack of breakthrough in the negotiation process is
connected with a factor that does not exist. It is obvious, however,
that it is part of Azerbaijan?s propaganda. The world community, first
of all, the mediators are well aware of the real state of affairs.
As for the allegations against Armenia, they are absurd. Armenia has
been extremely consistent and open throughout the process pursuing
peaceful resolution of the conflict. In the meanwhile, Azerbaijan has
been threatening with forced resolution of the conflict even at the
most active stages of negotiations. However, there is no solution to
the conflict by force and in Baku they are well aware of that. It
turns out that they have led themselves to a stalemate.