Armenia’s ruling party instructed to divulge Association Agreement text – ex-PM

In an interview with Tert.am, a former prime minister of Armenia, Hrant Bagratyan, has addressed the prospects and the possible negative impact of the Association Agreement. He said particularly that members of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia have been instructed to divulge the full text of the document. Bagratyan, who is now a lawmaker of the opposition Armenian National Congress, also made his comments on President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent statement on raising the minimal salaries to 90,000 ($221) Drams until 2017.

Mr Bagratyan, as a member of the National Assembly, what information do you have about the Association Agreement? Have you asked to Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a copy and what was their response if they didn’t give you one?

I don’t need to apply to the Foreign Ministry. As a member of Euranest, I attended the discussion devoted to the economic bloc of the Agreement in Brussels at the end of May. The head of the NA Foreign Relations Committee, as well as representatives of the ruling political party were asked to make the full text public.

Chairperson of the European Integration Committee Naira Zohrabyan said she has turned Stefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, who promised to unveil the document once the appropriate moment arrives. Do you think that appropriate moment is the period proceeding or following the initialing process?

Ms Zohrabyan attended the Brussels discussions too. I cannot make any comments on Stefan Fule’s words.

There are advocates of the Association Agreement initialing, as well as peope who oppose [to the process]. Yet, there is a third group which claims that unless the document is in the public domain, nobody can insist whether any of the integration trends in question is useful or right for Armenia. Your opinion.

I expressed my opinion as a presidential candidate back in February. It essentially differed from the approaches of the candidates who ranked the first and second [Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovhannisyan]. First, such questions have to be resolved only through a referendum (I have brought the Czech Republic’s experience). Secondly, no one signed any document in this historic period, obliging Armenia Armenia to make sovereignty concessions. To the best of my knowledge, the document at issue does not diminish our sovereignty’ neither does it prevent us from fulfilling the obligations which we have undertaken in relation to other countries. But I say again, that’s to the best of my knowledge. The rest has to do with the referendum.

What’s your personal attitude to the signing of the EU Association Agreement? Does the parliamentary faction representing the Armenian National Congress have a consensual approach to acceding or refusing to accede to the Agreement?

If that’s the text which I know, it can be signed after the referendum. As for the ANC party, I would simply ask you to turn to them.

Can you say what economic prospect the initialing of the Association Agreement can ensure for Armenia?

Economically, it will enable both us and the Europeans to facilitate the economic ties and the trading. After all, the Europeans are on average economically better organized than we are. That will first offers advantages to them. As to whether or not we will manage to have more benefits in future, I have no idea about that. I don’t think it succeeds.

Speak of your ideas on possible reactions and counter-measures by Russia. Will that reduce Russia’s economic presence in Armenia, and how will that affect Armenia’s economy?

It’s possible that no developments will follow. But a surge in the natural gas prices and the enforcement of other regimes in relation to the Armenian products - in the export of the Armenian brandy or agricultural produce, for instance – is also possible. The most dangerous thing is the possible bans on the transfers from Russia, the technical-military cooperation and the restriction of the Russian imports.

The Armenian President promised to raise the salaries to 90,000 Drams until 2017. Do you consider that realistic and if so, what resources will be used to make it possible?

In my presidential platform I offered 111,000 Drams (for 2017), but the legal proposal offered 72,5000 Drams beginning 2013. The bills were rejected, but it is the president that makes such a proposal. The approach is interesting in this respect. Also, it is interesting that the government’s five-year program submitted to the National Assembly as early as four months ago envisaged a minimal salary of 65,000 Drams ($160), I think. And all of a sudden, the president says something different from what the government proposes. His approach is more like ours. And for us, the rights policies on the minimal salary are a powerful tool to reduce the shadow economy. By and large, an increase of the minimal salary has nothing to do with the rise of the real wages.

It’s quite possible that the expected constitutional reforms will result in a transition to a parliamentary government. So look, if the country faces a political dilemma, that happens only in the case of presidential elections. As for parliamentary polls, their outcome is always predetermined. Winners are always the rich and the district authorities, sometimes even the mafia representatives. The elimination of the strong presidential institute can lead to a loss of state.