Last year-end, as expected, the road map of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union was approved. The document has not yet been published, ruling party’s political figures are not even familiar with it, and therefore, no one wants to make analysis or express views about the sequence of moves, their logic, and trend. Even people who in principle consider the political decision on accession to the Customs Union acceptable. In the conversation with Aravot.am, the Leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia, Aram Sargsyan, opined in this regard that supposedly the road map should include technical issues in compliance with appropriate documentation base elaborated by the CU founding members, regarding the execution o obligations by the Armenian side.
To our question of whether, in your opinion, the document, however, should be made public so that the public understand the steps in sequence and logic, have the notion about expected results, Aram Sargsyan responded as follows, “Generally, I think that the authorities were obliged to present the rationale of their political decision, including the characteristics and advantages. And this should be done not only in the form of official message, but over TV and speeches in detail, perhaps, via wide-scale press conferences or being in touch with the people. This is the rule, after making such a big and important decision people need to know what future is expected to them, what kind of success can be expected to be able to keep people within the country.” With regard to transparency, our interlocutor brings the example of the President of the Russian Federation.
We were interested to know of what “concealing”, non-public practice of RA authorities in the EU Association process and now in CU accession process hints at. Aram Sargsyan thinks that the people in the administration system of Armenia either are not familiar with the management theory in general, or it is their style, they allegedly have received the majority vote of the public, which they consider appropriately to conduct. “We know what we’re doing, and your intelligence is not enough to understand what we are doing: we will do, you will see. This is it.” The DPA leader considers the second option more likely. Democratic Party, in the near future, will not only require from the authorities to act transparently, but will introduce its own approaches to the actions, with various political actions. Aram Sargsyan, to put it mildly, does not consider it a normal phenomenon that not the President of the Republic, but an expert is presenting an opinion about the CU accession, since the differences between the weights of the opinions are obvious.
Especially since there are no broad public debates, there are separate opinions voice from time to time. “Today, we have the unprecedented emigration in Armenia, I’m not taking the 90’s, there were other conditions there, and people are leaving because they really do not see the prospect or are unable to handle other problems in their lives. Now, people who are even more or less secured are leaving the country. In any case, the reasons for migration are not explored and the government does not seem to hurry,” says our interlocutor, adding that willy-nilly you begin to think that it is done for the complaining mass to leave and the authorities followed by their imagination are able to manage more easily. “There are hundreds of questions that have no answers at this time. Even we can draw the following conclusions from the findings published by the State Statistic Service that the country is simply bleeding.” Aram Sargsyan makes a reference to the existing lines near the Russian migration agencies in Armenia within “Compatriots” program. People, whom they accept now to submit the papers, are invited to come in the end of May. “Now, imagine how large the number of emigrants is. Under these conditions, the current government has no right to put the head resting on the cushion and sleep, they cannot say anymore that we know what we’re doing. And we see the result of your deeds. At least once a month, the President of Armenia should come up with broadcast, present his and the government’s plans, and show results.” In fact, Aram Sargsyan believes that Russia’s former Ambassador gave the correct answer to the Prime Minister of Armenia by saying, take a good care of your people, let them not go and instead of putting the blame on us, decide on how to do to keep your people in your country.
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Nelly Grigoryan
