Armenian MP Artsvik Minasyan from the Armenia faction has criticized the legislative initiative to launch the EU accession process, arguing that its preamble contradicts the Declaration of Independence.
"The absurdity has reached a point where the government suggests removing the preamble. But that preamble contradicts the Declaration of Independence. The declaration states that Armenia’s goals are to be achieved through independence. Now, you are saying that by subordinating Armenia’s independence and sovereignty, those goals can still be met. Do you not even have anything to say about this?" he stated, as reported by Aravot.
Minasyan emphasized that the bill is unrelated to trade improvements or visa-free travel for Armenian citizens to Europe.
"The issue of a better trade regime with Europe is not being discussed today. This bill has absolutely nothing to do with that. It has no connection to visa-free entry and exit for Armenian citizens into European countries. All of that is already provided by CEPA, which this government is failing to implement," he said.
Minasyan described the bill as a legal farce and claimed it was yet another deceptive agenda designed to create the illusion of progress.
MP Sona Ghazaryan from the ruling Civil Contract faction responded, stating that the bill does not imply severing ties with any partner, Armenpress reports.
"This initiative is not about distancing ourselves from anyone. We continue our regional engagement, maintain dialogue with Turkey, strive to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, and regulate our relations with Russia while creating a new agenda. This bill does not pull us away from anywhere or anyone," she stated.
MP Armen Rustamyan from the "Hayastan" faction argued that the initiative does not align with EU accession procedures, Aravot reports.
He claimed that the initiative is based on false expectations and suggested that Armenia is convincing itself that joining the process will lead to exclusively positive outcomes.
"The goal, which seems to inspire dreams in many, will actually lead to serious problems. In essence, we are replacing a ‘both-and’ approach with an ‘either-or’ one. This will create major issues. Armenia cannot afford to impose an ‘either-or’ choice on itself when the opposing sides are in deep conflict—even at war," Rustamyan stated.
Speaking about European integration, Rustamyan noted that Armenia has yet to fulfill a significant portion of its obligations under the CEPA agreement.
"We haven't even implemented 40% of CEPA. And we’re talking about integrating into European values? Who is stopping us?" the MP added.
On February 11, Armenia’s National Assembly began discussing a legislative initiative to launch the country’s EU accession process. The initiative was submitted by the Eurovote civic movement, which gathered the necessary signatures to present the bill to parliament. The government reviewed and approved the initiative on January 9 before sending it to parliament for discussion.
