ARMEN BAIBOURTIAN: ARMENIA INTENDS TO IMPLEMENT ENP ACTION PLAN IN A RAPID AND EFFICIENT WAY

Noyan Tapan, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Neighbourhood Policy
(ENP) Joint Action Plan (JAP) signed between the European Union and
Armenia signifies a new stage in the relations between the Republic of
Armenia and the European Union. The Deputy Foreign Minister of the RA
Armen Baibourtian told NOYAN TAPAN correspondent that the distinctive
feature of this new stage is that unlike the previous documents, the
Action Plan, which will determine the principles and modalities of
Armenia’s participation in the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP),
is a political document laying out the strategic objectives of the
cooperation between Armenia and the EU and envisaging certain actions.

The 5-year Action Plan specifying the joint actions of Armenia and the
EU in the political, economic, legal, cultural and other spheres was
signed by the Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Finnish
Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Paola Lehtomaki on November
14 in Brussels, and approved at the EU-Armenia Cooperation Council
7th meeting.

The deputy minister said that one of the main features of the
Action Plan is that it will be in joint ownership and will contain
benchmark-based perspectives. This makes it quite different from all
previous forms of cooperation as it will primarily focus on what the
Armenian government and the EU jointly agreed to be priorities for
them. The value added of this arrangement is that both sides will
share responsibility both for the progress and the failure.

The Joint Action Plan is based on the principle of conditionality
that is usually methodology wise used for the countries – candidates
for the EU membership. The progress in our relations will mainly
depend on the progress in implementation of domestic political and
economic reforms. This principle envisages that the Armenian side
(like the other ENP member states) takes certain steps, and if they
are considered successful, the EU opens a new program for Armenia.

"So we have a gradually developing program," he said. That means
participating countries will receive a new impetus for furthering
their reforms on the one hand and the new commitments on the other.

Armenia has a framework agreement on the EU-Armenian Partnership
and Cooperation. It was signed in 1996, took effect in 1999 and is
envisaged for 10 years. According to the agreement, the approximation
of the Armenian legislation to the aquis – the EU legislation,
supplemented with institutional and policy approximation parts, shall
take place. This agreement formed the legal basis for adoption of the
Joint Action Plan. Upon successful completion of the Action Plan new
enhanced contractual relationship may be established between Armenia
and the EU.

In the words of A. Baibourtian, another important circumstance that
distinguishes the Action Plan from the previous documents signed
between Armenia and the EU is that in addition to cooperation, it
also presupposes some integration in certain fields, first of all
in some sectors of the economy. The document stipulates that, as a
result of this integration process, Armenia may have its stake in
the EU’s internal market. The deputy minister underlined that this
provision is often misinterpreted as allocation of some trade quotas.

"In reality development of a more essential regulation is envisaged,
that is, the whole economic and regulatory framework of Armenia is
brought into line with the European legal acts to such an extent that
it allows Armenian economic entities to have a direct facilitated
relationship with the EU and enter its market," Armen Baibourtian
said. As a result, the current GSP+ trade regime (entailing a special
status in trade for a prevailing number of goods with the EU) may be
replaced with a free trade agreement, i.e. a duty free trade regime
may function between the RA and the EU.

According to the deputy minister, the Action Plan is for five years
but the Armenian side does not rule out that the agreement on free
trade may be signed even earlier.

In response to the question about what specific actions must be taken
in the near future under the Action Plan, Armen Baibourtian said
that the adopted document is a general outline of the actions. The
Action Plan’s implementation plan with relevant scheduling and with
the priorities of particular actions has to be developed in the near
future. For example, the schedule may indicate what specific steps
are envisaged by each point: strengthening of democracy, in economy,
culture and other spheres. Based on the joint priorities, there may
also be a provision on the holding of the elections and the EU may
assume the obligation to assist Armenia with preparing for them.

A. Baibourtian also informed that Armenia has made a proposal that the
sides monitor the Action Plan’s implementation at regular intervals and
Armenia should be invited to provide information for the reports. This
proposal was welcomed by the EU and shows that Armenia is inclined
to implement the Action Plan in an efficient way.

A first review of the implementation will be undertaken within two
years of its adoption.

The three South Caucasian countries signed their Action Plans with
the European Union on the same day – November 14. The deputy minister
noted that these three documents are in general similar but they differ
from each other by some details conditioned by the peculiarities and
requirements of each country. For example, in the Armenian document,
there is a reference to the principle of self-determination of peoples
in the part related to the peaceful solution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.

Armen Baibourtian also stressed that the Action Plans may contribute
to the settlement of the conflicts in the region, including that
of Nagorno Karabakh. "The EU itself does not have a mechanism of
conflict settlement but in these documents it offers its assistance
to the OSCE involved in the conflict settlement process. Besides,
recently the EU has become more active in its efforts for Karabakh
conflict’s resolution: previously the mandate of the EU’s special
representative for South Caucasus stated to "assist", whereas now it
was changed to "contribute" to the peaceful resolution," he said. The
increased role of the EU’s special representative is also reflected
in the ENP Action Plan. In addition, it is extremely important that
the involvement in EU integration processes may be conducive to the
improvement of the conflict resolution atmosphere. "The fact that
immediately after the signing of the Action Plans both the Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers expressed their optimism on this
issue may be the first signal in that direction," A. Baibourtian
said. Another positive factor is that all the three Action Plans
envisage closer regional cooperation.