ARMENIA TRIES TO FIND KEYS OPENING THE DOOR TO EUROPE

PanARMENIAN.Net - During the visit of Robert Kocharian to Germany, a special attention was paid to the issue of Armenia’s membership in the European Union. This subject was discussed also during the negotiations between the Armenian President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioshko Fisher and the Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Earlier the possibility of the EU expansion was discussed with representatives of other European countries. The authorities of Greece have promised to support Armenia in becoming EU member. Yerevan can also count on the support of Cyprus, which is to become an EU member in the nearest future.

But positions of Paris and Berlin are the most important. It is known that the term of Turkey’s membership in the European Union was postponed partially because of the common position of Germany and France. In this sense, Yerevan’s intention to gain the support of Paris and Berlin is rather natural. French government welcomes the intention of Armenia to be integrated in the European structures and has assured of its readiness to support Armenia in overcoming the obstacles hindering to this process.

During the EU summit of Copenhagen, which allowed 10 countries to become EU members, a list of countries which will enter the EU next time was discussed. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey hope to become EU full members earlier than other countries. At the same time the application made recently by legislators of 7 Eastern-European countries allows to note the seriousness of their intentions. 311 Parliamentarians from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Albania have signed a message addressed to the participants of the Copenhagen summit asking to consider the issue of including those countries in the list of candidates for membership in the EU. The Parliamentarians of Kosovo have also signed this document. The message was initiated by the transnational radical party headed by the member of European Parliament, French citizen Olivier Dyupois. The transnational party is going to raise the issue of EU expansion in the European Parliament as well.

Yerevan and Baku are in a single block now. However, it should be taken into account that there are states with different level of democracy and economic liberty in the list of the countries intending to become EU members. “The individual approach” shown by the EU authorities in the issue of admission of Turkey and Cyprus allows to assume that the principle of parity will not be applied in the case with Armenia and Azerbaijan. These two countries, which are in conflict, were once admitted simultaneously to the Council of Europe. (It’s not a secret that Armenia played a role of a locomotive that pulled Azerbaijan, to which the Council of Europe had much more demands, along to that organization). It was supposed that this would help to lessen the contradictions between Yerevan and Baku. However, two years later it became evident that the wish to put a sign of equality between Armenia and Azerbaijan was a mistake.

For example, the World Trade Organization refused the principle of parity while considering the applications of Yerevan and Baku. As a result, Armenia was admitted to the WTO, while Azerbaijan was told that its legislation was not concordant to the European norms. This precedent is very important. It makes u hope that Armenia will not be obliged to pull along Azerbaijan in the issue of membership in the European Union.