WEST WANTS TO HAVE MORE INFLUENCE ON ARMENIA THAN RUSSIA HAS

Trend News Agency
Feb 4 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 3 /Trend News, E.Tariverdiyeva/ The
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has not
deprived the Armenian delegation of right to vote so that it to have
more influence on Armenia than Russia has, experts said.

"Europe does not see democratic problems in Armenia. Armenia has become
a subject of keen interest of western institutions. For Russia, this
is a very bad sign. Its single, true and real ally in the Caucasus
may be lost," said Russian expert for CIS Gregory Trofimchuk.

At the meeting in late January, PACE did not support the earlier
proposal of the Monitoring Committee to deprive the Armenian delegation
of right to vote, because Armenia had not fulfilled a series of
provisions of PACE 2008 resolutions. The provisions referred to an
impartial investigation of last year’s Mar. 1-2 events. Armenian
opposition led by ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan held protests
against the outcome of the presidential elections. Clashes between
protesters and law enforcement agencies left 10 people dead and over
200 injured.

Observers and representatives of international monitoring organizations
have stated on democratic problems in Armenia after the March events
on numerous occasions.

World Report-2009 of Human Rights Watch stated that since gaining
its independence Armenia has experienced one of the most serious
political rights crises. On Mar. 1, security forces used excessive
force against the opposition, protesting against the results of the
February 2008 presidential election.

According to officials, Armenia has made its utmost to meet the
requirements of PACE resolution.

Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, did not answer
the question on the presence of political prisoners in Armenia during
his interview for Mediamax news agency on Feb.3. However, Davis said
that he is "mostly concerned" by the fact that no one is responsible
for tens of citizens killed in the streets of Yerevan in March 2008.

Observers think that "closing eyes" on the violation of human rights in
Armenia, the Council of Europe didn’t deprive the county of the voting
right in the PACE due to special interest of the West in Yerevan.

Azerbaijani political scientist Tofig Abbasov thinks that the West
uses democratic norms as small cash and its exchange rate varies
depending on how the country follows European and American interests.

"The amorphousness of Armenian diplomacy with the presence of
dominating Moscow fools the West into thinking that sooner or later
Yerevan will be biased to this direction," expert of analytical group
Media-Holding Lider told Trend News.

According to Abbasov, the West can’t let itself be away from beneficial
factors such as unfinished ethnic and territorial conflict around
Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The European organizations are absolutely disinterested in how many
people were killed during the conflicts, for instance in Armenia,"
Trofimchuk, president of Centre of Strategic Development Modelling,
told Trend News.

Trofimchuk said that Europe approached with other measures. It acts
sometimes legally and sometimes as it wishes regarding incidents. It
is called double standards.

This is very dangerous symptom that will cause Russia’s worry as a
partner of Armenia, the expert said.

"For Russia, it would be much more profitable if Armenia would be
objectively criticized for problems," Trofimchuk said.

The PACE’s position has caused ambiguous reaction within the country.

PACE has decided not to deprive the Armenian delegation to vote to
keep pressure on Armenia, political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan
said at a press conference in Yerevan.

"Removing Armenia from processes in the Council of Europe, PACE has
lost the ability to dictate terms to its game. Furthermore, away from
Europe, Armenia is certainly going to be even greater convergence
with Russia," Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

According to political scientist, perhaps it would be better for
Armenia, because the European nations sought to establish relations
with Armenia on bilateral basis, more effectively.

"The concepts of nation state and European democracy were
incompatible. To join European organizations, we must accept rules
of the game," Melik-Shahnazaryan added.