Human rights activist Arthur Sakunts explains the results of the polls conducted by Civilitas Foundation entitled Customs or European Unions by the citizens’ lack of awareness. Note that according to the polls, 65 % of the population of Armenia had heard about the process of the EU Association Agreement, while about 80 % of the population is aware of affiliation to the Customs Union. Again, according to the polls, 34 % of respondents said that Armenia must deepen its relations with Russia, while 10 % think that the country should not make a choice between Europe or Russia. “By their life experience, the citizens are more aware of the Customs Union than of the European Union. Results of the polls speak about the citizens’ awareness.
In fact, the awareness need to be applied conditionally because the results of the polls are the produce of not real and objective knowledge, but rather one-sided propaganda. Since September 3, last year, there was no public discussion or a dialogue on the theme of refusal of the EU Association Agreement and affiliation to the Customs Union. In the meantime, the government was working on the Association Agreement for 3 and a half years, and there was no proper awareness of these processes,” said Mr. Sakunts. He is convinced that should the citizens of Armenia had the opportunity to be fully aware of the EU Association Agreement, then the results of the polls would have entirely a different picture. “In the event of one-sided and non-objective awareness, the results of the polls do not reflect the true picture, nor the true orientation of the people.”
According to him, the authorities did not exercise the commitment assumed by them pertaining to awareness of the EU Association Agreement, because it was not driven by their interests to present the objective picture. “Because the government quality is more consistent with the Customs Union’ or Eurasian Economic Union’s value system than that of the European system. Participation in the Association Agreement process by the authorities of Armenia and the reforms that allegedly were implemented are formal.
Given the connection of “Civilitas” with PAP faction MP Vardan Oskanyan, who together with the trio conducts public awareness campaigns in the regions and does not present any assessment or approach to the decisions and directions about Serzh Sargsyan’s foreign policy during the public speeches at the public forums, I do not consider the circumstance of not presenting his approaches about the decision of Armenia’s affiliation to the Customs Union, then such publication of the polls, coincidence in terms of timing.”
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Arpine SIMONYAN
