“We need to take into account that together with our neighbors, we are all Council of Europe members, in other words, when the Soviet Union collapsed as such, a legal transformation happened and all the Soviet Union states became a member of the European Council, also the European countries, then the regulation was developed a Convention, European Court, which has been so far working for the Council of Europe countries, and the Council of Europe summit always takes part in the debates, MPs are always going, and now the question is what body the EU is. We are all Council of Europe members, we have signed the treaties and conventions together with our neighbors, but there is also the European Union, which subordinates to the Council of Europe. The EU is a hybrid. Euro functions in EU countries, but there is a European country that is in the EU, however, is not a European currency. In short, it is a fuzzy thing”, – said the director of the “Forum” Legal Center Tigran Ter-Yesayan in the interview with Aravot.am.
Ter-Yesayan notes that Russia is also a member of the Council of Europe, but it is not a member of NATO, unlike us. “We are a modest nation, we have entered into this fuzzy stuff. Today, the EU announces that Armenia need to answer, but to what, to the comprehensive economic trade … If you know what comprehensive is, well, well, tell Turkey to open the road. I am asking a question, Turkey is the EU’s comprehensive friend, member of the Council of Europe, it imposes blockade against us for years, well, let them say in a comprehensive form, respected powerful NATO member Turkey, for you have captured Armenian lands, why don’t you give way, and I put condition. The EU is very good, with all of its values, but there is a delicate problem. We say that we do not want to be under the heel of Russia, a yoke, but Russia is also a member of the Council of Europe, isn’t it? And not the EU member. For 23 years, NATO member Turkey does not allow to open the border, it puts conditions, well, if you are so strong, the Russians have a good word, they say the European Union, you are not an ordinance for us, i.e., the EU legally cannot give orders to the members of the Council of Europe, by status. Well, if you are so brave, why do not you solve the Karabakh problem, or tell Turkey to to open the road…” According to Ter-Yesayan, Turkey and Azerbaijan have closed us for 23 years, and now if we sign the Association Agreement, they need to tell Turkey to open the road, but Turkey is not a member of the EU. “We have become a boot, the Russians say from this side, the other from that side … It has its good side also. This means that we are taken into account. If Russia of 140 million population asks us to sign Customs agreement, the EU of more than 300 million population is also asking, then Armenia of 3 million population, which has a turnover of 3.5 billion budget, which is ridiculous, and similar international issues should have been conducted by the referendum, and today 28 countries are saying Armenia “what are you doing. Diplomacy is diplomacy, but we need to say directly that you are both the donkey and the outpost. But we should have a culture, and our leaders should have understood that such issues should definitely be conducted by the referendum, we are people of the election size of a village mayor, it would not be difficult,”- added Ter-Yesayan.
Eva HAKOBYAN
