Waning hopes of Eastern Partnership Summit

November 27, 2013 - 18:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Summit of the Eastern Partnership, which is starting in Vilnius on Thursday, Nov 29, was supposed to be the triumph of the European Union, or, at least, a major stride to push Russia out of the six former soviet states: Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Presently, the plan remains realistic only in case with Georgia and Moldova. Armenia and Belarus have stepped back. Azerbaijan said it will not sign any document. Ukraine will keep the intrigue till the end.

As for Russia and accusations of pressure on the post soviet republics, especially on Armenia and Ukraine, it’s not true to fact to some extent. Moscow doesn’t exert pressure; it just provides the figures and says what these countries can expect in the near future.

Everything could develop in a different way if the EU published the text of the Association Agreement (AA), which was supposed to be initialed in Vilnius. According to the Polish ambassador to Armenia, Zdzisław Raczyński, in case of initialing, the first and the last pages would be signed, while the remaining part and details would be under discussion for about a year.

As it’s known, the text of the Association Agreement is the same for all member countries of the Eastern Partnership, with exception for a couple of provisions. The Armenia-related document consists of 1200 pages, mostly covering economic issues, i.e. the very essence of the AA: elimination of the industry and agriculture and full dependence on the International Monetary Fund. In short: a trap with no chance to escape.

It’s worth noting that the geographical location of the Eastern Partnership member states is very beneficial for Europe in terms of energy sources transit, especially after the deal reached with Iran. Thus, those to sign the Association Agreement in Vilnius will get no more than a place in Europe’s backyard.