“Armenia and the EU came to an agreement prior to elections”
“The European Union goes to unprecedented concessions in case of Armenia,” Kakha Gogolashvili, Director of EU Studies at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, Georgian political scientist, told 168.am, reflecting to signing of Armenia-EU agreement.
Note, Heidi Hautala, Head of the EP delegation, who was in OSCE/ODIHR observation mission, stated that the initialed document between Armenia and the European Union (EU) will probably be signed in November, during EaP summit. It should also be noted that Hautala also touched upon this after the parliamentary elections, while introducing conclusion of OSCE/ODIHR observation mission.
Kakha Gogolashvili didn’t exclude that within the initially reached agreement such a statement was made. “The EU has invested serious money in Armenian elections, there were expectancies, that those elections will be much better organized and transparent. OSCE/ODIHR report was rather balanced, which mostly touched upon phenomena, which remained heritage from the past.
Mostly positive assessment was given with some exceptions, which means the European side is content how they’ve been used, what result the finances provided by the EU gave. For this very reason deadline of signing the agreement is being touched upon.
Usually the European side doesn’t initially point out deadlines for assigning the agreements on account of complicacy of procedures, political appropriateness. In all likelihood this disclosure is one component of the agreement: the Armenian side implemented its issue, it’s the turn of the European side,” Georgian analyst said.
He considers issue of holding good elections was a condition for signing Armenia-EU agreement. According to Gogolashvili, not accidentally the EU didn’t’ hesitate to initial the agreement on the threshold of elections, which isn’t peculiar to the EU either, which usually attempts to maximally keep neutrality and “distance” under current situations.
“In case of Armenia we see that the EU goes to rather serious, unprecedented concessions. The point is how free Armenia is to worthily respond to these efforts by the EU being under the zone of influence of Russia and having controllable foreign policy. Maybe the European side will take into consideration all this, and the only purpose of these efforts is signing the agreement and nothing more. Time will show how perspective this all may be,” Gogolashvili said.
By Araks Martirosyan
