ARMEN ASHOTYAN: WE SHOULD ACCEPT AND APPLY THE EUROPEAN STANDARDS

ArmRadio.am
19.05.2006 16:05

“Moving in one direction is destructive, and it is very important to
take our mentality into consideration. As for the thunderous statements
about Armenia ‘s joining the European Union, these aim at gaining
political dividends,” NA Deputy, member of the Republican Party Armen
Ashotyan declared, turning to the prospects of Armenia-EU ties.

According to the Republican Deputy, the South Caucasus cannot joint
the European Union at least in the coming 50 years, since there are
standards, which should be met before speaking about membership in
the EU. In his words, first we should resolve all regional issues,
a common economic cooperation should be established, which is hard to
anticipate in the coming 20-25 years. Armen Ashotyan considers that
the Armenian economy is now free, but not competitive, although there
are certain achievements in this direction: according to the latest
data about liberalization of economy, Armenia is the 27th in the world.

In the Deputy’s opinion any country aspiring for Eurointegration
should meet the “Copenhagen standards.”

“We should admit and apply the European values not for joining the
European Union but for the sake of prosperity of our state and people,”
Mr. Ashotyan said.