Galust Sahakyan, too, considers it irrelevant fiction
About a month ago, in Minsk, where the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan was participating in the Eurasian Economic Council meeting, three documents were approved taking into account Armenia’s desire to join the legal base of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Area, and later to become a full member of the Eurasian Economic Union, and the parties had come to a number of mutual agreements. These documents also enabled Armenia to obtain the right to receive the documents adopted by the Supreme Body of the Eurasian Economic Union, except for the documents that contain confidential information. One of the documents approved in Minsk was the Memorandum on deepening of cooperation between Armenia and the Eurasian Economic Commission, in which Armenia is obliged to be refrained from any statement and actions conflicting the interests of the Customs Union. During the visit of the Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission Viktor Khristenko to Yerevan, just a few days ago, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan also signed this document along with other documents. Yesterday, during Q&A of MPs and the government at the National Assembly, in response to Nairi Zohrabyan’s question, the Prime Minister said, “I will look into the complete document to which you refer, and get back to you with additional clarifications, but I think that it is not the political statements that determine various branches of powers in Armenia, hence, no one can restrain us in our statements.”
Naira Zohrabyan, in particular, had asked, “What is the interest of the Customs Union? Russia has only one interest, Belarus – another, Kazakhstan – another.” The MP also cited the joint statement of the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, “Nagorno-Karabakh problem is the main obstacles of stability and regional cooperation based on the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, territorial integrity and inviolability of frontiers,” and added, “If Armenia makes a statement in this respect, does it make a statement against the interests of the Customs Union?”
Yesterday, PAP secretary sent the Prime Minister the document signed by her and in the conversation with “Aravot”, expressed bewilderment regarding Tigran Sargsyan’s unawareness about the document signed by her.
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With overstrain of imagination, the MP is ready to understand that Tigran Sargsyan, perhaps, is unaware of the document signed by Serzh Sargsyan in Minsk, but the fact that he is also unaware of the documents signed by her, the MP finds it difficult to comprehend, “No comment”. The MP recalled RF President’s Adviser Sergei Glazyev’s advice to Tigran Sargsyan a short time ago (“Aravot”, 11.10.2013), “I have a great respect for the Prime Minister of Armenia, but I would advise him to read the agreement carefully that he wanted to sign with the EU”, and said in irony that, perhaps, it was not in vain that Glazyev was giving such a piece of advice to Tigran Sargsyan. In this respect, in the conversation with “Aravot”, justifying the Prime Minister’s unawareness, Head of RPA faction Galust Sahakyan said that he was also unaware of the document, but, overall, the matter is about the document, which results in development of the whole package. To our question whether they can clarify what are the statements and actions that Armenia will not do that are against the interest of the Customs Union, Mr. Sahakyan said, “They will be seen when all the arrangements are made and be converted into a document. It will then be clear that who will do what in the rules of this game, and with what schedule of mutual agreements they should proceed. So, if someone says that the Prime Minister did not know, it is an irrelevant fiction. Because, the documentation that you are talking about today is underway at this moment.”
We reminded that several days ago Belarus President stated that in the process of Armenia’s joining the Customs Union, Azerbaijan’s interest should also be taken into account, and we asked whether Armenia’s opposing this statement might be contradictory the interests of the Customs Union, Mr. Sahakyan said, “No, it would not. It is the problem of Belarus, as a state, and not the ideology of the CU. Also, I do not think that the CU member countries must immediately cease their relationships with Azerbaijan. It is a consequence of political and diplomatic game. By saying CU, we do not understand Belarus. CU member countries have their scenarios, procedures of their decisions, and the concept of consensus. Therefore, with the statement of a single state to say Armenia that you also should not say anything… First, we are going to CU to speak about everything, and no one can take our right of speech.”
Galust Sahakyan does not share the view that the President of Armenia was to answer the tough stances voiced at the Eurasian Economic Committee session by leaving the session, because the views voiced by presidents of individual countries do not mean the view of the Union. We asked why Serzh Sargsyan, at least, did not reverse the presidents of Kazakhstan and Belarus, our interlocutor said, “But how do you know that he did not reverse?” To our observation that their views were made public, should Serzh Sargsyan reverse, it would be also published, Galust Sahakyan said that Armenia is not yet a full member of CU to fully participate in the discussions. “And as for reverses, believe me, they would be tougher than one might think. Our right to speech, our sovereignty is the most important task for us, that is why we are partners with various organizations, and the right of our speech would be more robust and complete.”
Nelly Grigoryan
