Armenia wasn’t told to become EU member
Georgia has been offered to file an official appeal for EU integration, announced President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso during a press conference with Georgian President Mikheil Sahakashvili in Brussels. Unlike Georgia, Director of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan doesn't think Armenia has many perspectives of EU integration.
According to him, Armenia will not have a chance for EU integration in the next 10-15 years.
"However, if there is a common border, customs territory, facilitation or lifting of entrance visas or similar processes, it will make no difference if Armenia is an EU member or not," says the EPF Director. According to him, Armenia may obtain such a status, but is not even ready for that because it must first have the political will to fulfill EU obligations.
"Not counting the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia has good political will abroad. Armenia wants to collaborate with all countries without preconditions regardless of the culture and religion of those countries," says Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan.
Gevorg Ter-Gabrielyan says nothing will change by "pressure" from the outside. "The more an international organization is built on democracy, the more that structure respects a given country's sovereignty. One thing is for sure-Armenia must be able to solve its problems on its own."
According to him, international organizations are having an impact on Armenia not by "pressing", but by giving more or less loans and grants to the given country and they are of great significance for Armenia.
The Director of the EPF excludes that Armenia will integrate into the EU sooner than Turkey. "Although Turkey has to have a number of principles, that country is already in the process, while Armenia still doesn't have that perspective. Armenia wasn't told to become EU member," said Ter-Gabrielyan.
