Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
Thursday
Vice Speaker Sharmazanov says Armenia successfully runs diversified
foreign policy
YEREVAN, JANURY 25, ARMENPRESS. It was once again reaffirmed that
Armenia runs a diversified foreign policy, Vice Speaker of the
Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told a press conference in Armenpress,
stating that as the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at PACE
Armenia is an EAEU, CSTO member, Russia’s ally, but at the same time
the country managed to keep very good relations with the EU countries,
in particular, with France.
“France is a friendly country for Armenia, and the Armenian-French
relations are dynamically developing in all spheres, including
political, economic, cultural and inter-parliamentary directions. You
know that Armenia will host the Francophonie summit in October and
Armenia will become one of the world’s political centers during this
period”, he said.
Presidents Sargsyan and Macron clearly stated that everything will be
done for the development of the Armenian-French ties. Eduard
Sharmazanov said this was Sargsyan-Macron first meeting, but the
existing mutual understanding was evident.
“What has been stated by Armenia? Armenia will continue the democracy
development, institutional reforms. Macron said France will always
assist Armenia. They highly appreciate Armenia’s democratization
efforts which is at the crossroads of the cultures of East and West”,
Sharmazanov said.
As for the Artsakh issue, the Vice Speaker attached importance to the
fact that during a joint statement with the President of France, as
one of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country, Serzh Sargsyan once
again clearly stated that the Nagorno Karabakh fight is fight for
freedom, human rights. In addition to this, the Armenian side supports
exclusively the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
“In his turn the French President clearly stated that the conflict
should be settled exclusively peacefully and through mutual
concessions and this must be followed by concrete steps. These
concrete steps are the implementation of the Geneva, St. Petersburg
and Vienna agreements. It’s Azerbaijan that torpedoes these
agreements, not Armenia and Artsakh”, Sharmazanov stated.
Commenting on the Armenian President’s speech at PACE, Eduard
Sharmazanov said when tangible reforms are talked about and when the
citizen will feel them, today this was very clear.
“If we go back for a couple of years, we will see what words the
European friends were using in regard to the inner-political situation
in Armenia and what words they are using now. Mr. Jagland clearly
stated that Armenia moves on the right path”, the Vice Speaker said.
Sharmazanov reminded that the President in his speech at PACE said in
2018 the domestic political issues in Armenia concerned the European
lawmakers, and yes, during that time they were adopting different
resolutions, there was even a danger that some sanctions would be
imposed on Armenia. But today in PACE even no one questioned the
irreversibility of democratic processes, human rights in Armenia, the
existence of political will in fight against corruption.
“This is a result of our political will, that of civil society,
leadership, opposition, but first of all that of the leader of the
state and the implementation of a clear political line. In Strasbourg
the President mentioned several important principles, Armenia is
Europe with its value system. One of the main priorities of Armenia’s
domestic political agenda is the fight against corruption. Corruption
is a disease and challenge to our state. At the same time corruption
is not only typical to developing countries like ours, but also it’s
typical to such famous organizations like PACE. In Strasbourg the
President said with a regret that we have witnessed value crisis in
PACE, when the caviar or the oil dollars were much more convincing
than the democratic values and human rights”, Sharmazanov noted.