EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VICE-CHAIRMAN SEES NO REASON IN PRACTICE FOR ARMENIA NOT TO JOIN EU IN COMING 10 YEARS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “In practice I
see no reason for Armenia not to join EU in the coming 10 years,”
European Parliament Vice-Chairman Edward Macmillan-Scott, who is in
Yerevan on an official visit, declared at the June 7 press conference
at RA National Assembly. He also mentioned that personally he is
“open before the issue of Armenia’s and RF’s membership when the
convenient time comes.” Meanwhile he emphasized that like the other
members of the European Parliament he also has some reservations in
connection with Turkey’s possible membership to EU. According to him,
the European Union is not a closed organization, just the negative
results of the EU constitutional referendum held several months
ago in Holland and France gave rise to some problems for membership
of new countries. Rather a great number of Europeans, also in the
above-mentioned two countries, are anxious about EU’s extension
and especially about Turkey’s possible membership. Nevertheless,
the process of new countries’ membership is rather active.

In response to the question on the prospects of Armenia-European
Union relations and some delay in the issue of implementation of
the European Neighborhood policy because of Azerbaijan, Scott said:
“My personal preference is that we should show an individual approach
to any country taking into consideration their cultural and historic
differences.” He also stated that the above-mentioned approach is
used towards the Balkan states and he as a personality and not as a
EU official sees no reason for not applying the same approach in the
South Caucasus. As a member of the European Parliament Commission of
Foreign Relations with the largest working experience, he promised
to speak to his parliamentary colleagues as he gets to Brussels and
to persuade them “for excluding any artificial delay in this process.”