‘Semi-membership’ would be unhappiest option now – Artur Sakunts

In an interview with Tert.am Head of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly Vanadzor office Artur Sakunts explained his decision to appeal Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s “autocratic” decision on Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union. He also spoke of a document Armenia may or may not finally sign with the European Union (EU).
 
According to him, the issue must be dealt with under law. President Serzh Sargsyan violated Armenia’s Constitution and citizens’ rights – the right to have conscientious authorities that would be predictable and accountable to the people.

Armenia has been working at an Armenia-EU Association Agreement for three years and a half. So Mr Sakunts was informed of the processes preceding the planned initialing of the Association Agreement and could predict further developments. The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum is working, and a national platform was formed involving NGOs. So the logic of the Association Agreement is well known, and the national platform was involved as a civil society institute.

As regards official statements that some people were well informed of the negotiated text of the Association Agreement, Mr Sakunts said that the document is available at the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum – human rights, efficient government, energy, nature protection, economy, visas and human contacts. Proposals for accomplishment of the tasks in questions were regularly made at the forums.

No format of public involvement in the processes related to the Customs Union has been proposed to civil society. So civil society, with its proposals and concerns, got involved in the process of drafting an Association Agreement. This is a concept typical of a democratic state. Since this May, civil society has prepared a roadmap to submit to the summit in Kishinev, Moldova. And Armenian authorities assumed commitments to resolve certain problems before signing the agreement. The agreement is actually a document, but civil society had been involved in the drafting process until September 3. That is, it can by no means be compared with the document on the Customs Union in that the statement on Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union was not preceded by any discussions.

Mr Sakunts also spoke of the Armenian president’s visit to Poland, when he stated that ‘either…or’ was impossible and hinted that Armenia would follow the way to the Customs Union.

According to him, it has nothing to do with the matter. Štefan Füle and Catherine Ashton had ruled out the possibility of dual membership. The EU committed a mistake. The Eastern Partnership was a much more transparent process. When Mr Sakunts raised the issue of Russia at the civil society forum in Brussels, the EU played down Russia’s role in the drafting of the Association Agreement. And now they have been convinced that they should have held bilateral discussions. On the other hand, Russia, when it sees neighboring states seeking other sets of values, based on rule of law, democratic principles, it “feels bad.” And Armenia is one of such nations.

Much has been said of Armenian authorities’ intention to sign a document before or after the Vilnius summit to make an impression that something has been signed.

In this context, Mr Sakunts said that a nation that has a set of values cannot simultaneously be part of two systems. In this respect, Armenia’s domestic policy cannot be the same as its so-called complementary foreign policy. Domestic policy must meet the requirements of the Constitution. At this moment, “semi-membership” would be the unhappiest option. Mr Sakunts does not want the objections to Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union to turn into a nation-wide struggle because panhuman values must underlie the struggle.