Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

“Hraparak” got hold of a document related to the RA-EU summit to be held in Yerevan on May 4-5. The document opens a number of brackets and shows the real picture of Armenia-EU relations. What desperate measures the RA authorities are trying to woo the EU with, and how they obediently fulfill the most incomprehensible proposals and instructions, and what kind of humble service the EU expects from Armenia.

The document talks about how the summit convened at the beginning of May should proceed, and what the Armenian side should say and do, how it should behave, what issues it should resolve. Simply put, this is a guide for the “sovereign” leadership of RA, what Europe expects from it. It is true that it is mostly done in the form of consultation, but the existence of such a document itself speaks of the unequal relations, the master-slave dependence that exists between the EU and RA authorities. It is clear from the document how much the European Union attaches importance to two issues: the issue of the railway, taking it away from the hands of the Russian company at any cost, and the cooperation of the border checkpoints with Turkey and Azerbaijan in the context of the Middle Corridor. The EU lists the procedure of the summit, the things to be done. signing of letters of intent, pre-agreements in relevant fields, a list of possible benefits for Armenia, etc., proposing steps aimed at strengthening and intensifying partnership relations, for example, in the fields of transport, energy, digital, people-to-people ties, involvement of the Armenian diaspora, involvement of Tumo Center in digital education processes, etc.

In the document, for example, it is stated in several places: “The President can announce:…” we are talking, presumably, about the President of Armenia or the Speaker of the RA National Assembly, or the chairman of the summit. In other words, even the president is not provided with freedom of speech and the right to decide what to say on his own. According to Hraparak, a high-ranking EU official, Hoa-Bin Ajemyan, who has close ties with some pro-government businessmen in Armenia, took part in the drafting of this document-proposal. Years ago, he was the head of the cooperation department in the office of the EU delegation operating in Armenia, including in the period before the “revolution” of 18, and was often a guest at the office of the EU delegation.

Returning to the so-called package of proposals of the EU, let’s present its content. The document refers to the energy sector. According to the Europeans, Armenia’s energy sector faces the challenge of grid instability, which complicates large investments in renewable energy, effective power management and conservation, as the battery energy storage system is missing, and there is a need to upgrade and modernize the grid. The European partners offer their help, as well as advise what the president should say in his speech regarding this. They also promise investments of up to 1 billion dollars in this field.

The package of proposals also refers to the digital sphere, the successes of Armenian companies in this sphere are recorded, and the goal is “the integration of Armenia into the European digital economy”. They offer cooperation models and a fund where approximately 60 million euros of capital can be mobilized. In this section, the names of a number of well-known organizations in the field are mentioned, among which is NVIDIA. the latter’s vice president was in Yerevan a few days ago, meeting with Nikol Pashinyan. In the context of preparations for the summit, the document also talks about people arriving in Armenia starting from March. The company “Synopsys Armenia” is also mentioned, the director of which is Hovik Musayelyan, who closely cooperates with the authorities and is a member of the Public Council. He was also in the group of those who went on an excursion to the Kirants wall with Pashinyan.

The EU partners did not ignore the Armenian diaspora with its well-established organizations, such as AGBU, the Armenian Benevolent Union. It is noted that the Armenian diaspora, with its strong communities and businesses in Europe, its activity in the fields of culture and public policy, is one of the most important strategic assets of Armenia, and AGBU has a long history of education, entrepreneurial support and international cooperation. Cooperation between the EU and AGBU would help mobilize the diaspora more systematically and strengthen the ties between Armenia and Europe. And the diaspora could become a bridge between Armenia and Europe. By the way, AGBU issued a statement in 2023 to respect Artsakh’s right to self-determination, and last year called on the RA authorities to respect the autonomy of the church. The topic of possible cooperation with Tumo Center and Dilijan International College was also included in the package of EU documents-proposals. It is written that they want to take advantage of Tumo’s experience, and Dilijan International College, in a region with unresolved conflicts, can play a strategic role in encouraging dialogue and prepare the next generation for peaceful cooperation.

Now let’s look at the 2 most important points of this document-proposal package.

1. “Rehabilitation of border checkpoints with Turkey and Azerbaijan, special attention on data exchange (e-custom, e-freight) in order to build an efficient and integrated middle corridor. In order for the Middle Corridor to flourish and be resilient and be fully integrated into the regional rail and road network, “reducing Russian influence,” the document says. And they advise what the Armenians can announce and what these announcements will help, for example: “…will help to attract EU private investments”.

2. And, of course, the topic of the railway, which is being hung over Armenia’s head like a sword of Damocles. In the proposal document, it is clearly written in black and white: RA must undertake to eliminate the Russian monopoly and re-nationalize the railway.

This topic has been widely discussed. For example, they write: Armenia’s railway network currently operates through a 30-year (2008-2038) concession agreement granted to the South Caucasus Railway (a subsidiary of Russian Railways). They make a number of proposals to reduce Russian influence, increase EU involvement and attract potential EU investments, as well as to get as close as possible to EU transport requirements. For example, to dismantle the monopoly of the national railways, to separate the company of rails, railroaders and the general management. This approach, according to the EU, will reduce Armenia’s dependence on Russia, open up new opportunities, such as investments in additional segments of the railway network (concession island), so that the railway system of Armenia is integrated with the regional one (Azerbaijan and Turkey), while keeping the Russian railway operator away from the rehabilitated track (on the Eurotunnel model). The European partners did not forget to remind that Armenia will probably be required to pay compensation to the Russian company for this. There is also talk that at some stage of the changes, Armenia may transfer the management of the infrastructure from the Russian company to an independent unit. According to EU partners, this change will create a favorable environment for investments in line with EU standards.

The interest of the EU in all this is obvious, but it remains unclear where the interest of RA is. Especially if we take into account that the EU has not fulfilled the previous promises of investments and aid. And does Armenia have enough resources to be able to abruptly abandon RA-RF relations and cooperation with all the economic consequences arising from it?

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