Hovhannes Igityan reminds, after the scandalous announcement by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation the authorities did not say – who are you to interfere in our domestic issues? “If the EU support is desirable no longer, we will not force, we respect the sovereign choice of the Armenian people, nothing against your will, dear friends”: this is how the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski replied to the response of the Armenian authorities relative to his assessments of the elections.
Let us remind you that Switalski had told that the elections did not pass perfectly, there were cases of vote-buying, bribery, threatenings, he had told it would be better to include civil society representatives in the Central Electoral Committee for it to be more trustworthy, he had told to find solutions in respect with the ranked system. And the authorities had responded as if the ambassador has no right to intervene in the domestic issues of Armenia, inasmuch as Armenia is a sovereign country, they had similarly urged him to give a fair assessment, not to exaggerate, etc. Yesterday Switalski hinted that the threats to the Armenia’s sovereignty are hidden in another place, not in the cooperation with the EU.
We talked to the former President of the Committee of the Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly Hovhannes Igityan about this. According to him: “People who have announced that the announcement of the EU Ambassador is an interference in the inner issues of Armenia, I think, they were not aware of his speech, if they had heard they would have seen that there was nothing present in the Ambassador’s speech except for concerns and good advice. He was too distant from interfering in the inner affairs of Armenia. We should take into consideration that the EU is not an institution from the street, it is an organization which has supported Armenia by both consultations, finances and separate programs at the request of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia.
They would want all their efforts, including the financial expenses, to work effectively in Armenia, every investment to give a positive result. No interference is in place here, even if the financial support from the EU was not present, Armenia has signed a number of conventions with various European organizations, the EU encompassed, where the parties have taken the responsibility to develop democratic institutions, human rights, including elections. I think this scandal has been started in vain, maybe the MPs or the ministers have not thought properly over it.”
As stated by Mr. Igityan, a contradiction arises when we speak of the issue of Nagorno Karabakh, we cannot tell the EU we regard your investments and support as a help there and in Armenia – an interference in the domestic affairs: “Whatever announcement the members of the government make, hardly the EU Ambassador and other officials will change their opinion about the Republic of Armenia, an opinion will be shaped that in Armenia they not only do not want to develop, but do not want to listen to their advice alike. Now the situation in relation with Nagorno Karabakh is in a chaos, and it seems to me we should negotiate with the EU as well and apply to the same ambassador, I do not think that he will go to help Armenia with the same enthusiasm after all this. It is apparent that we need the EU.”
We reminded that Robert Kocharyan had said previously that the European Council is not a politburo where they make a decision and impose, or Galust Sahakyan had said it is not a Ctesiphon and asked whether these authorities proceed with the same policy? They tell the EU having financed solely the latest elections for 7 million Euros – give us the money, but do not tell us sour things, do not criticize us. Hovhannes Igityan answered: “Firstly, it is not 7 million, EU’s assistance to Armenia reaches a billion and it continues. The EU has never talked to Armenia by compulsion and ultimatums.”
Hovhannes Igityan, in contrast to Switalski’s speech, reminded us of the announcement of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Volynkin whereby he suggested to undertake the neutralization of the NGOs which are a wedge in Armenian-Russian relations: “Has anyone told the authorities, who are you to try to interfere in our political life? We have moved a bit forward at last, and the EU Ambassador gave us good advice and such a response? It seems to me the officials know how the elections have passed, I am sure that some people are not that satisfied with the authorities and their nervousness comes also from the circumstance that they have exceeded their limits indeed. Let David Harutyunyan not get offended, but by the Nagorno-Karabakh’s created, he would neither receive even 10 votes at any polling station nor would he beat SAS’s Artak, and nor Samvel Alexanyan neither in Avan, nor in Nork, he would not beat any ranked candidate. The educated and progressive representatives of the government are the victims of semi-criminal, corrupt people today, with the help of which they are in the Parliament, are a majority. Here a lot of questions are to be thought over, Armenia cannot afford such a luxury, the half of the Parliament to be people who do not have any ties not only with the Parliament but politics alike.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
