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In the interview with Nvard Chalikyan from Panorama.am Vice-President of European Parliament Mr. Ryszard Czarnecki, who was in Armenia on an official visit, spoke about the prospects of cooperation between Armenia and the EU. 

Mr. Czernecki, who is also a historian and who has visited Armenia for many times, stressed that Armenia is an integral part of Europe both historically and culturally.

He said that the EU is therefore interested in having closer relations with Armenia, despite Armenia’s decision to join the Eurasian Union (which the EU understands given Armenia’s geopolitical situation).

Commenting on statements made by President of France Francois Holland and by Foreign Minister of Latvia, who have recently spoken about the need for a new type of Association Agreement with Armenia, the EP Vice-President said that “the EU is open for every form of cooperation with Armenia.”

He also noted that while for some EU countries it is preferable to have closer relations with Africa, Maghreb and other regions, for Poland (the country he represents) it is important to have closer ties with South Caucasus countries as well as with Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova.

As for the future of the EU, the EP Vice-President said that EU enlargement is envisioned – it will be not a fast, but a step-by-step process.

Speaking about the agenda of the upcoming summit of Euronest, which is going to take place in Yerevan (Armenia) in March, Mr. Czarnecki said that the future of Euronest will be discussed. He regretted that Azerbaijan may be boycotting the session as it wouldn’t be beneficial for Azerbaijan to miss a meeting in which important matters for the region are going to be discussed.

Mr. Czarnecki also spoke positively about the recent strengthening of ties between Armenia and Iran and said it is in the national interests of Armenia to maintain the balance of power in the external relations of the country and to cooperate not only with Russia, but also with the EU, Iran and other countries.

Asked about whether the issue of Azerbaijan’s “caviar diplomacy” is addressed in the EP after the incident with the EP election observation mission in Azerbaijan, Mr. Czarnecki said that the inconsistency between the reports reaffirmed the need to have one common policy within the European Parliament.

As for the Nagorno Karabakh issue, Mr. Czarnecki reiterated the position of the European Parliament in that it completely supports the efforts of the Minsk Group and is waiting for the results of their work.

Asked about the attitude of the EU to the fact that Azerbaijan enhances its military budget (not concealing its intentions to start a war against NKR and Armenia) by the money it receives from energy projects with European countries, Mr. Czarnecki said that the EU is not responsible for energy policies of its members, as cooperation in this sector remains in the domain of sovereign states.

Mr. Czarnecki will be visiting Armenia in March 2015 for the Euronest summit.

See the full video interview with Mr. Czarnecki here. 

By Nvard Chalikyan