“Russia does not set the issue of “either-or”. Still a year ago, former German Ambassador to Armenia, when announcing that “it is impossible to join the EU Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement, on the other hand, at the same time constituting a part of the Eurasian Union or joining the Customs Union”, Russia responded that it might be “and-and”, they do not mind for “and-and”. In other words, the West more raises the issue of choice. Well, we are always used to the fact that Russians exert pressure on us, bring up absurd requirements before us, but in this case it turns out that a lot of the pressure is coming from the West in the case of “either-or”, in other words, the West brings up the conditions and it is clear why, because it could become a precedent for them, because so far there has been no “and-and” for them,- so reacted political technologist Karen Kocharyan on August 27 to the question of Aravot.am as to if Russia, however, officially announces and puts the issue of “either-or” to Armenia.
Aravot.am inquired from Mr. Kocharyan whether he was taking about the pressures from the West based on the statement of the above mentioned people, or on other calculations, especially when a week after the statements, when the RA President Serzh Sargsyan decided to join the Customs Union, the media and the Internet were filled with statements of different analysts, political figures that the RF is exerting pressure on Armenia.
In response to our questions, Karen Kocharyan noted that “he does not make predictions, but combined the facts” and clarified,- “I have said and still say that once the RF officials had stated that they are not against “and-and”, and the German Foreign Minister or quite high-rank European Union officials had said that there can not be “and-and”. As for the calculations, I have always loved to do calculations, because I am an engineer by profession. But to do calculations in the politics at this moment, including as of Armenian, it the most ungrateful work. I am repeating, I do not predict anything, I am just bringing up facts.”
To our question that Mr. Kocharyan had noted that “we are used to the fact that the Russians exert pressure on us, put absurd requirement before us, but in this case it turns out that a lot of the pressure is coming from the West in the case of “either-or”, in other words”, and the decision adopted by the RA President a week later, and the subsequent comments that “the decision was achieved under the pressure of the RF”, whether they do not endanger the rating of the political technologist, so responded Mr. Kocharyan,- “I do not see a problem with ratings. Being a man of the field of television, this word is already affecting me. On the contrary, in the last month and a half I have said that they will sign the agreement to join the Customs Union.”
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To our questions whether the Association Agreement will be signed in the light of the statement by Stefan Füle that the “Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement are related with each other, you can not separate them”, Mr. Kocharyan replied,- “Certainly a document will be signed with Europe within the Eastern Neighborhood program, I’m almost 99 percent sure that Europe will never give up Armenia, no matter that they show that they are offended and insulted from Armenia. The same for Füle, because he was representing Europe in negotiations, it is not beneficial for him either if the process fails.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
