Armenia — the European Union: what will be further?

The round table «East partnership and Armenia: the purposes, experience and calls», organized by the Yerevan State University and Jagiellonian University of Krakow (Poland) passed in Armenia. Political scientists discussed the questions of East partnership, and also prospect of cooperation of Armenia and the European Union.

The known Armenian political scientist, the head of department of the international cooperation of the Yerevan State University, professor Alexander Markarov told about that action:

- It is a question of the project which is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland. «Cooperation in the Sphere of Public Diplomacy 2013» project mentions all countries of East partnership — expert conferences pass there. The expert assessment is given of various problems which enter into a circle of the questions discussed within East partnership.

Upon termination of all national conferences total conference in Krakow (it took place on November 18, 2013) will be held, in which the representatives of all countries — participants of East partnership, involved in this project will take part who will generalize everything that was told during similar discussions. New opportunities for university consortia for research of the problems connected with new Europeanization will be presented —I wouldn’t call it integration.

— How did the action pass in Armenia?

- The ambassador of the Polish Republic Zdislav Rachinski acted with welcome speech, then one of governors — the governor of Vayots-Dzor Edgar Kazaryan acted. The vision of the relations of Armenia and the European Union was stated by the deputy of National assembly of the Republic of Armenia Tevan Pogosyan. Well and further we discussed three blocks of the questions concerning cooperation between Armenia and the European Union.

- What were the questions?

- In the political block it was a question that within cooperation with the European Union a number of the reforms directed on deepening of process of democratization and improvement of the legislation from the point of view of protection of human rights and deepening of cooperation between the organizations of civil society of Armenia and the relevant institutes in the European Union in recent years was carried out.

Within economic and social blocks the discussion of research which indicated potential advantages of the conclusion of the contract on association with the European Union (now it is already in the past), and also questions and the risks connected with possible signing by Armenia of the contract on the country entry in the Customs Union took place.

— The initiator of discussion of this subject was the Polish party?

- Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden acted as initiators of the programs directed on interaction between the European Union countries and several CIS countries which entered into so-called East partnership. And Poland carries out this work too: it will organize a number of the actions directed on, we will tell so, studying and specification of positions of expert and political communities of these countries. As a whole Poland carries out the policy, directed on rapprochement of positions of the listed countries.

- Representatives of Poland repeatedly emphasized that the major priority in policy of the country is ensuring national security of the country — for this purpose the East partnership is realized with the next countries neighbors — members of the CIS.

- The Polish position is well-known. It is one of those countries which supports association of Ukraine with the European Union. Exactly thanks to the Polish assistance to those reforms which took place in Ukraine, it can get a positive response and support in the European Union countries. In the same way Moldova acts as the country to which the neighboring state gives support — it is a question of Romania.

Countries of Eastern Europe or «new Europeans» pursue policy directed on strengthening and deepening of reforms and an intensification of the Europeanization processes in some of the countries of East partnership. In a bigger measure it concerns Moldova and Ukraine and Armenia and Azerbaijan to a lesser extent.

As for Georgia, it carries out the policy of Europeanization within that policy which got support on a referendum in due time passing in this country. Now the presidential election passed there, and it seems that the course of Georgia remains invariable. But it is clear that tactical questions can undergo some changes.

- The president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan declared that Armenia intends to enter the Customs Union. How it will affect the relations of the republic with the European Union?

- Presently it would be premature to say that there will be a curtailment of cooperation, as there are cooperation programs which are in an implementation stage today. It is clear that in this situation the European structures will give bigger attention to civil sector, and also optimize East partnership in the direction of cooperation with civil sector.

The foreign policy of Armenia and foreign policy of the European Union constantly raise the cooperation questions. What forms will this cooperation have during the post-Vilnius period? It is while the question …

It is clear that in Vilnius you shouldn’t expect the agreement signing in that option which was prepared and which is a result of four years of negotiations on the contract on association between Armenia and the European Union. But there are expectations that a certain document of a format of the declaration can be signed, concerning an assessment of the passable way and that progress which Armenia had within negotiations with the European Union. The matter is about an invariance of a position of Armenia on implementation of legal reforms, deepening of the questions connected with observance of human rights, strengthening of elements of democracy in political system and so on.

As for a subject of the Customs Union and potential participation of Armenia in it, it is obvious that the statement of the president Serzh Sargsyan which was sounded on September 3 is the political statement. And it received the beginning of legal registration at the meeting in Minsk. Probably, what worth paying attention today are those objective obstacles which exist within interaction between Armenia and the countries of already existing Customs Union and «road map» development. On the one hand, it has to concern the entry of Armenia in this process; on the other hand — will provide not formal, but mutually advantageous for all potential participants of structure the development way taking into account the involvement of new members.