Tuesday, March 5 2019 10:31

ArmInfo. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who is in Brussels on a working visit, delivered a speech yesterday at the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee.  As the press service of the Armenian Prime Minister informs, the speech  reads as follows:

"Chairman McAllister, Distinguished members of the European  Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honored and privileged to address the Foreign Affairs Committee  of the European Parliament.  After the Velvet Revolution it is the  first opportunity for the Armenian Prime Minister to speak at the  Foreign Affairs Committee.  Hence, I would like to focus, in  particular, on the fundamental changes that already happened and are  currently taking place in my country. I will also speak about the  challenges that we are facing today and about our goals and plans for  the future.

Distinguished colleagues, Armenia is currently undergoing changes  which are unprecedented in their nature and magnitude - changes that  are completely transforming our political and economic landscape.   Last spring a nonviolent revolution occurred in Armenia. Armenian  people, guided by the slogans of love, tolerance and fraternity,  stood up to protect their political rights and build a society in  conformity with their ideals and values.

They opted for democracy and pluralism, for justice and equality.  They spoke against corruption and a political system based on a  client-patron relationship. They stood against the elite which  monopolized the political and economic life of the country; against  oligarchic economy, and against those who established and exploited  extractive institutions leading the country to a standstill.  Velvet  Revolution restored democracy in Armenia!

The snap parliamentary elections, held last December, reinforced our  achievements. Those political forces behind the revolution won a  landslide victory. We gained an overwhelming support of the Armenian  people - more than seventy percent of the votes.

For the first time in about twenty-five years, the elections held in  Armenia were not contested by any political party. It is equally  important to say that the recent elections obtained the best possible  assessment of the European observers who hailed them as free, fair,  and transparent.  I am confident that the victory of democracy is  irreversible in our country! My confidence is based on the following  premises. First, ideas of freedom and democracy have deep roots in  the core values of our people. Armenia was one of the first countries  where a nation-wide popular movement arose against the former  communist regime back in late 1980s. 

The restoration of our independence in 1991 was indisputably aimed at  establishing society based on constitutional democracy, rule of law,  and liberal values. The distortion of democracy, which we witnessed  in our country during the last twenty years, happened as a result of  a deviation from the initially chosen path of development. It  originated from a wrong and misleading interpretation of our  traditional set of values and aspirations.

Second, the democratic transformation in our society is based on a  wide social demand coming from all layers of the Armenian society and  the six-million-strong Armenian Diaspora worldwide.

This progressive process was born out of the will and aspirations of  our people. Moreover, it had nothing to do with outside forces. It  did not produce any tectonic shifts in our foreign policy nor  originated any changes in our foreign policy strategy. Armenia  remains committed to its foreign policy obligations and partners.

Third, democracy is not merely one of the viable options for us.  Rather, it is a matter of security for us. We believe that for our  people and our political culture it is true to claim that democracy  provides for stronger and more efficient economic and political  institutions, which constitute an important precondition for the  development of country.

Therefore, we couldn't afford the luxury of under-developed  institutions which previously existed in our country. They caused  economic inefficiency impeding the progress of our country. Promoting  our economic and political institutions became an imperative in  Armenia. It has no alternative today.  We need democracy in order to  be competitive in the 21st century! However, democracy needs to be  protected and reinforced. What are the main challenges that we are  facing today?

First of all, it is the poverty which still exists in our country.  Today, the people who live under the poverty line make up about one  third of our total population. They constituted the main social basis  for fraud elections and electoral bribes that we were witnessing in  the past.

In our society there is an obvious correlation between economic  development and democracy. Erosion of the middle class was actually  accounting for the decline of democracy that we witnessed in the  past.  Thus, a strong and viable middle class is considered to be one  of the main prerequisites for sustainable democracy in Armenia, and  the economic revolution is chosen, therefore, as the next goal of our  Government and the cornerstone of its Program. With this view in  mind, we have adopted and already started implementing an ambitious  reform agenda.

As I mentioned on many occasions, among the current priorities of the  Armenian Government are the fight against corruption, eradication of  monopolies, elimination of poverty, consolidation of the independent  judiciary system, establishment of rule of law, and a level playing  field for all economic and political actors.

We are going to put in force a package of robust measures to reform  our tax and custom systems.  We also focus on reforming our education  system. People should be able to live and create in a rapidly  evolving and shrinking world, in which progress is driven by  knowledge.

I am proud to inform you that a lot of visible changes have already  occurred in our country over the past few months. For example, we  have already eradicated systemic corruption in Armenia.  The power of  monopolies and existing oligopolies in Armenia has already been  strongly reduced.  Today, there is nobody in Armenia able to use  political influence to achieve economic goals anymore.

Distinguished Colleagues,

While implementing our reforms policy we are stumbling on obstacles.  One thing is clear in this regard: implementation of the  Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the European  Union is of tremendous importance for the success of our reforms!

The value and the attractiveness of this initiative are in achieving  its objectives exclusively through the implementation of reforms.  CEPA is a reform-generating tool. The fulfillment of its provisions  will entail qualitative changes in many areas of our society.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to assure you that the  Government of Armenia is resolute to take all necessary measures to  implement the CEPA. We are determined to conduct an active and  fruitful cooperation with the European Union in all areas of mutual  interest.

In this regard, I want to note that early ratification of the CEPA by  the EU Member States is crucial for its complete entry into force and  further enhancement of our bilateral relations.  At this point more  than one-third of the Member States have already ratified the  Agreement, and we are hopeful that in the near future the rest will  follow suit. On this matter we very much count on the Parliament's  support and your personal contribution.

Within the context of our cooperation agenda I would also like to  mention the Visa liberalization dialogue. Opening of the process will  greatly contribute to the people-to-people contacts and to our  cooperation in general.

Taking the opportunity, I would like to ask your support in promoting  this case, given the fact that Armenia is consistently implementing  all requirements on this issue.

The financial and technical assistance of the European Union remains  critically important for us. We need your support to make robust  steps in implementing our reforms. It is obvious that an enhanced  assistance of the European Union will help us move forward in a more  resolute and decisive way. The wider the scope of the assistance the  faster and smoother the pace of our reforms!  Distinguished  colleagues,

Geopolitical and security risks that continue to mar the South  Caucasus are the other challenges that we are facing today. They  seriously undermine our reform potential.  First, the unresolved  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the existing tension in our region  create political risks which are significantly affecting the  investment attractiveness of our country and the region as a whole.

Second, arms race unleashed by our opponents poses additional  difficulties for the region of South Caucasus.

  Today, Armenia has to allocate a large portion of its scarce  resources to maintain the peace in the region. It is Armenia which  actually bears the economic burden of keeping the existing balance  and preventing another outburst of hostilities.

Third, closed borders and the continuing transport blockade, imposed  on our country since early 1990s, sharply reduces the possibilities  of diversifying our economy.

And finally, the sanctions against Iran are also having negative  consequences on our economy reducing the availability of one of two  corridors connecting Armenia to the rest of the world.  Esteemed  members of the Parliament, As I mentioned the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict, I would like to stress the constructive and balanced  approach of the European Union toward this issue.

It is our view that the international community should continue to  support the peace efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, especially by  sending clear message that the use of force is impermissible.  We are  confident that the path to the resolution of the conflict lies  through the understanding of the need for the respect of the right of  the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination.

People of this mountainous region have lived in de facto independence  for more than two decades.  There is a generation of young people  there who cannot imagine any alternative to the independence.  If we  seek for a peaceful, just and lasting solution to the conflict, the  people of Nagorno-Karabakh should be allowed to define their future  by themselves.

I am not representing the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. As the Prime  Minister of Armenia, I only have the mandate of the citizens of  Armenia, but not the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh who have  their own constitution and form their own Government.

It is obvious for me that the peace process could produce a real  progress only if the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have a seat at the  negotiation table; only if the voice of the people of Nagorno-  Karabakh is heard and taken into account.

Distinguished colleagues, We are deeply convinced that trust between  the involved parties is one of the important prerequisites for the  settlement of conflicts. This confidence can be reached through  evolving dialogue and mutual understanding.

We see the South Caucasus as a region where independent nations live  in peace, solidarity, and cooperation. Indeed, in the modern world,  closed borders are considered at least economic and political  nonsense.

The world is changing by the day, resulting in a greater  interconnection and interdependence. New forms of dialogue,  coexistence, and economic cooperation are needed in our region.  Culture of dialogue, tolerance and compromise should prevail over all  differences and discrepancies existing in South Caucasus.

Thank you for your attention."