David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to “Vestnik Kavkaza”
Traditionally Armenia is a country which actively participates in all events organized by the CSTO. It has been a member of the organization since its foundation in 1992. Armenia initiated a series of ideas which were implemented within cooperation between the CSTO members. That is why absence of Armenian President Serge Sargsyan at the informal summit of the CSTO on May 28th in Bishkek caused interest in Armenia…
Despite explanations of the press service that Serge Sargsyan didn’t take part in the informal summit because it coincided with marking Day of the First Republic of Armenia, many people considered this step as certain demarche by the head of the state. President’s rejection to visit Bishkek was associated with the rumors on problems in Armenian-Russian relations, which as if appeared because of gas prices’ increasing.
The Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia Artur Bagdasaryan immediately told the mass media that non-participation of Armenian President in the informal summit of the CSTO couldn’t be considered as demarche. Bagdasaryan stated that Serge Sargsyan has already stated on his participation in the official CSTO summit in December 2013.
There are a lot of opinions disapproving statements from Yerevan. The leader of the opposition party “New Times” Aram Karapetyan says that the President’s decision not to go to Bishkek is a real demarche. He accuses Sargsyan of a detailed, developed geopolitical concept and states that the geopolitical position of Srgsyan is based on the principle “who gives more.” Karapetyan thinks that absence of President in Bishkek is connected not with his foreign political approaches, but increasing Russian gas prices. And that is why Yerevan often speaks about European integration as an alternative today.
These conclusions can be added with the information that Europe seriously promised 2 billion euro to Yerevan after signing the Association Agreement. It can be signed at the summit of Eastern Partnership in Vilnius which will be held on November 28-29, 2013. However, considering complete unclearness of what demands and what concessions the West will claim from Armenia , these billions will hardly improve the country.
None of devoted supporters of European integration in Armenia can clearly answer a simple question on what Europe which is in the crisis today can give to Armenia in the future. However, it didn’t prevent the speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ovik Abramyan to characterize European integration on May 31st at the session of the PACE permanent commission in Yerevan as “a thoughtful choice of Armenia, which corresponds to Armenia’s internal agenda.”
Considering the fact that top representatives of the ruling Republican Party have many times voiced similar statements in recent time, the version on Sargsyan’s demarche could be truthful. The Armenian authorities have always been in torn between the West and Russia. Serge Sargsyan didn’t invent a bicycle by not going to Bishkek, he chose a well-known strategy of Armenian top officials.
