Speech by Robert Kocharian, President of Armenia

Abhaber
May 16, 2005

“Armenia is at the beginning of a complex road of European
integration. Till the end of this year we are going to fully complete
our post-accession obligations with the Council of Europe. This was a
difficult but a fruitful process of reforms, which was widely supported
by our society.

We look forward to deepen our interaction with the European Union
within the framework of “European neighborhood” policy. To us it is
an opportunity to continue the political and economic reforms, now
under EU auspices. We consider ourselves to be a part of Europe. Our
cultural heritage is a part of the European culture. We implement the
reforms because they ate deeply grounded in the needs of our state,
and not because we want to be commanded by anyone. Perhaps that is
why the efficiency of reforms in Armenia has been quite high.

In Armenia people believe in Europe with open borders, without
violence, without blockades, without refugees; in Europe where
human rights and the right of peoples for free choice are respected,
where the present is being build upon objective evaluation of the
past. In this context we see the perspective of settlement of the
conflict in Nagorno Karabagh. Namely, we look forward to find ways
of including the de facto established Republic of Nagorno Karabagh
into the European processes of integration. Our efforts aimed at
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide committed in
the Ottoman Turkey are also explained by our belief in European
values. This year we are commemorating the 90th year of those sad
events, and we appreciate support of those states which have recognized
and condemned that Genocide.

Our summit takes place as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of victory
in the World War II. It takes place in a country that among the first
suffered from that terrible war. It is very symbolic, since at the
same place where Europe was once, decades ago, broken into two parts
we today discuss its reintegration. The victory in the World War II
saved the world from fascism, but divided Europe. Today, fighting new
challenges and threats we shall not only win, but also make sure we
do not create new dividing lines, we shall do our best to create the
common European architecture of peace and stability.

First of all let me thank President Kwasniewski for the wonderful
organization of the summit. I am confident that this meeting of
heads of the Council of Europe member-states is extremely well-timed.
Europe is in the process of transformation and it creates an urgent
need for discussions and adequate measures aimed at reforming the
European structures and institutions.

Those changes are of fundamental character. “Eastern Europe”
and “Western Europe” are not any more political terms; they have
transformed themselves to regular geographic concepts. Meanwhile,
the word “Europe” is not anymore simply a geographical name of a
continent. It is a political term widely perceived as a unique model
of a community of nations. A European is perceived as a member of
that community.

In this framework the institutionalization of that process and the
psychological adaptation of the Europeans go hand in hand, most
probably due to the advancement of information technologies. And the
speed of that transformation is so high, that it easily fits within a
lifetime of one generation. I sometimes think that what this process
has its own logic and does not depend much on politicians.

All this offers questions which require consideration and response.
Namely:

– Has the European integration geographical and cultural boundaries
and where are they?

– How do the European Union enlargement and further
institutionalization affect the demand for other organizations,
including the Council of Europe? It is becoming more and more apparent
that for European Union member-states our club becomes less and
less attractive.

– What is the future of Europe’s relations with the rest of the world,
which has other suppositions and traditions?

– Are the processes currently underway in Europe going to transform
into a new ideology with the consequences to follow in form of a
global divide?

Answers to these questions very much depend on the European leaders
sitting at this table.