Armine Gevorgyan
Public Radio of Armenia
The joint declaration adopted between Armenia and the European Union in Vilnius was a political achievement, political scientist Sergey Shakaryants says.
Speaking at a press conference today, the political scientist said President Serzh Sargsyan’s speech was also a success, especially considering that it covered issues related not only to the Association Agreement, but also Armenia’s blockade by Turkey and the Nagorno Karabakh issue.
As for the general assessment of the Vilnius Summit, Shakaryants says it was a complete failure. He believes Russia has not pressured either Armenia or Ukraine. “The Russian authorities have openly clarified what will happen to the economies of the countries if they open their customs borders to Europe.”
“Both Armenia and Ukraine were clever enough not to commit a political suicide,” he said, adding that the two would sign the Association Agreement had the EU refrained from requiring unilateral concessions.
Political scientist Levon Shirinyan considers that Armenia was trying to conduct a balanced policy before September 3, but made the decision to join the Customs Union because of the lack of security guarantees on the part of Europe.
