MP Ashotyan asks PM candidate Pashinyan on fate of previous statement to nullify agreement with EU
MP Armen Ashotyan, Vice President of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) asked PM candidate Nikol Pashinyan whether he plans to nullify Armenia’s agreement signed with the EU if elected Prime Minister.
During the meeting of the RPA faction and Pashinyan in the Parliament on April 30, Ashotyan said during these days hypothesis on the foreign policy have been voiced during each rally. He recalled Pashinyan’s previous statements on withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Pashinyan in particular made the following statement on September 27, 2017: “The only justification for joining the EAEU is blackmail: gas will be cut off, and etc”. “EAEU will only bring damage to Armenia than benefit”.
“The second remark was made in the plenary session hall on October 3: Yelk defeated the leadership 10:2 over the facts of withdrawing from the EAEU. The next remark is the following: “Armenia lost territories after joining the EAEU”. These are your assessments. I have three questions: what has changed during these six months that the assessments on EAEU membership having devastating impact on Armenia are not being voiced again? Secondly, you are not alone, although you guide the movement, but it also has its political team that is working for you. It’s not a secret that there are also many pro-western partners in this team who spread different information, different political messages, let me say anti-Russian messages, even after these statements. And the third question concerns to the European Union. During that same discussion you said the following: “The new agreement with the EU is water”, and during the Q&A you said that a new Association and free trade agreement with the EU must be prepared. Do you plan to nullify the already signed agreement with the EU and sign a new agreement if elected as Prime Minister? I want to remind that the new one will contradict the EAEU deal”, Ashotyan said.
In response, Nikol Pashinyan said he in fact has already answered the first bloc of questions. “Now we have a new political reality and I think any political and state figure must take into account the realities and in this context organize his/her service for the state and people. In general, I want to state that any formulation – pro-Russian, pro-Western, pro-American, with our movement, is an incorrect formulation as our movement has been, is and will remain a pro-Armenian. I want to once again state this is a clearly Armenian movement”, Pashinyan said.
As for the relations with the EU, Pashinyan said it’s necessary to develop the ties with all partners, but it’s must not take place at the expense of each other.
In response, MP Ashotyan quoted another statement made by Pashinyan earlier which said: “April war was about entering Azerbaijan to the EAEU”. “This is your assessment on the April war. Mr. Pashinyan, Sharmazanov said we are talking openly and directly. I think that when third President of Armenia, elected Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned and said in his statement that “Nikol was right, I was wrong”, I think the response of all these questions could be closed that in this case “Serzh was right, Nikol was wrong”, and not to say that a situation has changed. I, of course, have my views on drastic turns of opinions, views, I mainly view it in the political context, if there is a chance I can give assessments tomorrow. I just want to once again state that this turn was not convincing for me in this hall from professional, rather than a political rhetoric perspective”, he said.
Pashinyan said the state management is first of all to take into consideration the realities and make them better. “In all cases we view the issue from this point of view”, the PM candidate said.
