According to David Shahnazaryan, the Russian Federation tries to prevent enhancement of relations between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union and signing of the EU Association Agreement.
* Mr. Shahnazaryan, how will you describe the internal political situation, what does the post-election period stand out for?
* As a result of three elections within one year, the whole political system in Armenia has proved its irrelevance and incompetence. The political system in its current state cannot ensure any progress. Basically, neither the government nor the opposition nor non-government organizations have political content and work style, and they have separated themselves from society. The government continues to be oligarchic, doesn’t carry out political government, promises of political changes are up in the air, and current government hasn’t taken any step yet, by which it would prove that it intended to lead Armenia along the path of normal development, although it has the capacity to do that.
Selective adherence to principles, nonpublic, shadow functions and deals dominate the opposition camp. The opposition hasn’t developed a political agenda appropriate to the situation, except for revolutionary scenarios. The democratic opposition, maturity of which is a must these days, is undeveloped and immature.
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* What agenda should the opposition forces have developed?
* The revolutionary non-ideological approaches of disorder and disobedience dominate the opposition camp. The most important issue is real separation of executive, legislative and judicial branches of power, but one should first of all achieve separation of business and politics not only inside the government, but also in the non-government and opposition parts of the political system.
One of the pivotal issues on the political agenda should be signing of the Association Agreement between Armenia and the EU and consistent implementation of obligations stemming from that agreement. This is an unprecedented opportunity for Armenia to switch from a criminal oligarchic country to a developing state. This is just an opportunity, a chance, seizing which will require travelling a hard and difficult road, for which both the government and the opposition should have unequivocal political will, whereas the current political system in its current state is unable to do that. If we miss this opportunity, Armenia will be set back, and morals, which exist in Russia, will take root – persecutions of opposition and civil society. Association with the EU should become a nonpartisan goal, in which civil society should play a huge part.
* After the elections, the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader stated that the PAP could not be opposition, but there are heated debates now as to how one should understand that statement; everyone gives his own explanation to the PAP’s being or not being opposition. You have expressed your position on the PAP many times; nonetheless, what can you say about the latest developments related to the PAP?
* It is a meaningless question whether the PAP is opposition or not, since the PAP is not a political organization, to begin with; it hasn’t been established as such and has never been such. A political force cannot avoid responsibility, which is characteristic of the PAP both at the time when it was in power and now when it is formally not in power. A force that has always used the government’s backdoor favor and whose representatives have made contradictory assessments, avoid political responsibility cannot be opposition. Combination of charity for political reasons, economic monopolies, business and crime and simultaneous synthesis of influences on the opposition camp are not only incompatible with politics, but are also destructive for any country’s political system.
The PAP thinks that all the troubles of Armenia have started in the past one year, i.e. when it withdrew from the ruling coalition. It is obvious that they share the opinion of some circles in Russia that the oligarchic system in Armenia developed in 2009-2010…. By the way, the PAP and forces supporting it are proponents of Armenia’s membership in the Customs Union and the Eurasian Union.
* Can the reason for the fuss about the increase in gas prices be the latest developments in the relations between Armenia and the EU? Do you agree with the opinion expressed by many people these days that the Russian side proposes a change in gas prices as a result of our willingness to sign the EU Association Agreement?
* This is a direct consequence of the former government’s, Kocharyan’s and Oskanian’s, foreign policy; during their tenure, very important strategic facilities, including almost the whole energy system, in particular the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline whose diameter is small as it is, were handed over to Russia.
Russia’s abruptly increasing the gas prices is political pressure on Armenia, which aims at preventing enhancement of the relations between Armenia and the European Union, as well as signing of the EU Association agreement. This is Armenia’s strategic ally’s pressure on Armenia that pursues strategic aims. I think that these pressures exerted by Russia will be continuous and will not be confined to use of gas levers.
The government has hushed up the increase in gas prices, and generally, the government avoids talking about these challenges in public, since it doesn’t act as the representative of Armenian society. It would be possible to resist this gas pressure exerted by Russia, as well as other expected pressures in the future, if the government was engaged in political activities, was guided exceptionally by the interests of state and society. The apolitical activities of the Armenian government are not appropriate to the external and internal challenges.
The government should take immediate measures to build a new, 1400mm- diameter gas pipeline parallel to the existing Iranian gas pipeline, which may become a transit pipeline in the future, and it should not be turned over to any third state.
EMMA GABRIELYAN
