Poland supports that the Eastern Partnership countries will have the opportunity for further membership with EU. Last week, the group of Armenian journalists who left for Poland, at the end of the week, met with former Polish opposition figure, head of the students’ council of “Solidarity” movement, former correspondent of “Freedom” radio station, BBC, RFI (Radio france internationale), and now deputy of European Parliament, member of the European People’s Party (European Peoples Party-EPP) Boguslaw Sonik.
The deputy of EP told that Poland is involved in various delegations of EP that cooperate with the Eastern Partnership member countries. “Our goal is to maintain a balance in European politics since the policy was first aimed at the countries of the Mediterranean Basin, that’s why the program directed to the East was created.”
The Deputy European Parliament then said,- “We initiated the Eastern Partnership program. Now the European Parliament, in the framework of “Euronest”, works together with the Eastern Partnership countries, which helps us to understand what is happening at the eastern boarders. Joint activities are conducted with the eastern countries, so they have a chance in the future to join EU. “Euronest” is a valuable institution that tackles important issues, such as democratic governance, and we hope that sooner or later this idea will win.” Boguslaw Sonik noted that Poland supports that the Eastern Partnership countries will have the chance for further membership with EU. The deputy of EP thinks that now it is necessary to do a lot of joint work with these countries, so that the standards in political, economic aspect are brought closer to the European, which, according to him, of course, is not an easy thing. He indicated the complex situation, for example, in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
The deputy of European Parliament noted that they are well informed about the inner situation of the former Soviet countries, about the problems of Armenia, in particular, related to the settlement process of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also added that he realizes that Russia is Armenia’s security guarantor. “We support the efforts of Armenia to live in peace with neighbors of Turkey and Azerbaijan.”
Read also
The deputy of EP informed that in addition to the Eastern Partnership program, a Democratic Development Foundation was established in Brussels, the presentation of which was held recently, and Poland has provided them the former Polish Embassy building in Brussels. The director of the Foundation is the Minister of Polish Foreign Affairs. The Foundation will be engaged in the issues of freedom of mass media, human rights, and protection in the Eastern and Central European countries, and supporting civil initiatives. Referring to Poland, Boguslaw Sonik highlighted the fact that since 1989 his country has gone a great way, to build an independent state. “Now there is the prospective of receiving a 30 billion euro by the European Union for the regional development only. But, it appears that this perspective does not leave much impression on the Poles, they have already accustomed to. Citizens of our country have already seen that the roads are repaired, research centers were created, but the expectations of the EU are more and similar in this respect to the status of wealthy families, who have reached to the stage of criticizing in case of some gaps”,- said the EP deputy.
The same day, the group of Armenian journalist attended also the conference “Return from East to West” organized by Boguslaw Sonik, which was attended by senior officials and diplomats from various countries, experts, professors, mass media executives.
Emma GABRIELYAN
