Karen Bekaryan: Eastern Partnership benefit for Armenia obvious

PanARMENIAN.Net - With the European Neighborhood Policy just launched, it was obvious that the idea to unify Eastern Europe and Middle East has no future, an Armenian expert said.



"The ENP brings together the South Caucasus states, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Palestine, Jordan and Israel. Nevertheless, it's clear that Middle East countries will never be a part of Europe, due to difference in culture and values. From this viewpoint, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan stand a good chance to integrate onto Europe," Karen Bekaryan, head of European Integration NGO, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.



"True, relations with Belarus are a bit frozen over tensions with President Lukashenko but the situation is changing to the better," he said.



"As to the benefit Armenia can derive from the Eastern Partnership, it's apparent. New programs will be launched, economic cooperation will expand; Armenia will be rendered assistance in implementation of reforms it needs so much," Mr. Bekaryan said.



The European Commission is to propose pulling the EU's six post-Soviet neighbors closer to the West by recognizing their "European aspirations" and creating a new "European Economic Area."



The new EU policy - first floated by Poland and Sweden in May - proposes signing "Association Agreements" with Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the next few years and to "acknowledge the European identity and aspirations of these countries."



The draft communique underlines that the new pacts, which recall the association treaties signed with Poland or Lithuania prior to the 2004 round of enlargement, do not amount to a promise of future accession. "The conclusion of Association Agreements will be without prejudice to the partners' European aspirations."



The draft communique proposes holding an "Eastern Partnership Summit" in June 2009 to launch the project. Follow-up meetings of EU and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers are to take place each Spring. "Senior officials" from the "27 + 5 (6)" countries are to meet twice-yearly to prepare for the ministerials.



The European Partnership is to raise the EU's per capita spending in the region from the current 6 euro per head to 12 euro per head by 2013 and 20 euro per head by 2020, compared to the current 30 euro per head in the Balkans. The shift will cost 2.1 billion euro, atop the lost income of 75 million euro per year as a result of waiving EU visa costs.