European Integration NGO chairman Karen Bekaryan: It’s all about the ones who sign the paper

02/05/2009 Lilit SEYRANYAN

– According to political powers, the document adopted by the committee on cooperation between the EU and Armenia of the parliament is more imitation than a real document. Do you think that this document may provide development for Armenia?

– Any signed document can provide development only in case when the parties having signed that document, in this case Armenia as well, make efforts to fulfill the provisions of such document. In a word, it is up to the parties of the agreement whether it is demonstrative or will be implemented in the future. Accordingly, the opinion of the political parties you said, who think that this document may be declarative and not be enforced, is very strange to me because they are represented in the parliament and have an opportunity to make efforts to enforce the mentioned document and fulfill the provisions therein.
 
– How well does the situation in Armenia, specifically the situation connected with the political prisoners, support the process of Armenia’s integration with Europe? Isn’t it a serious obstacle on the path to Euro-integration?

– I won’t go through legal definitions such as political prisoners and other terms because I think that besides the political understanding of terms they should also have a legal definition. As for being or not being an obstacle, I believe that any process, where democracy suffers, will be an obstacle for Euro-integration. It does not start and finish directly from the so-called actions arisen from elections, which play a key role too. Any sector or action, where democratic principles are not met and democracy suffers, will become an obstacle.

 

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