Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia has decided to adopt a foreign policy that is balanced between relations with the European Union and Russia. He added that balanced relations are also being created at the regional level notably with Iran, by establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey and concluding a peace deal with Azerbaijan. Pashinyan said this approach is not easy but also not impossible adding that Armenia is being transparent with all its international partners about its intentions. “Yes, we have decided to get closer to the European Union, but we are very intensively trying to share our position with Iran and Russia and with all our partners”, Pashinyan stated.
Prime Minister Pashinyan was speaking on Thursday as a participant in a panel discussion in Davos titled “How to Design Europe’s Power” that also featured the European Commissioner for Trade, Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transpareny Marco Sevcovic and the CEOs of Syensqo and TotalEnergies. The discussion was moderated by Arancha Gonzales Laya of the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po.
In his intervention, Pashinyan described himself as a pragmatist and said: “Armenia is an independent country and in these difficult times there are many, many challenges and numerous risks, but on the other hand, it is a huge period of change. It is obvious that times of change bring huge risks, but on the other hand, huge opportunities arise, and we are trying to manage the risks and use the opportunities”.
“But we should not forget about balance, as losing balance can have very serious consequences for security, stability, not only for the country, but also in the region and in terms of global stability. We say that we want to be as interconnected as possible, but on the other hand, in this situation, any instability in any region of the world can start a chain process throughout the world, even in small countries, small regions, etc. And that is why I believe there is a need to be balanced and not forget about daily balance, which I believe is the most important thing” added the Armenian Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Pashinyan referred to the objective of establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey and the importance of not deviating from the peace agenda noting that “we must focus on our goal and continue to work without giving up, without getting disappointed. In this case, we must have the support of the international community, and I hope that this support will be provided". He also referred prominently to the Crossroads of Peace project that will help overcome supply chain shocks: “It is about making our regional transport communications more efficient, creating new transport communications not only with Azerbaijan, but also with Turkey, deepening our cooperation with Iran, Georgia. This is about the EU also because if this project becomes a reality, we will have new chain routes through Armenia for the European Union. It is not only a matter of economy. It is also a very important for overall stability and security but of course, this project will work if we can establish a stable peace with Azerbaijan, which, unfortunately, is not the case now.”
In his intervention on the margins of the World Economic Forum, Pashinyan also referred to Armenia’s path towards EU membership. He said “the initiative to start EU membership process came from civil society, they have submitted a draft a law in this regard, and our government has approved it. There is a high probability that our parliament will approve that law so that we can legally start the process of getting closer to the EU. Why did we want to be closer to the European Union? Because we are a democracy. When you are a democracy, you want to be closer or in the mainstream of democracy, as otherwise it would be illogical”.
“And now we are cooperating very closely with the European Union. To be honest, in recent years, tremendous changes and improvements have taken place in our relations with the European Union. For example, we have just started negotiations on the visa liberalization agreement, which has been on our agenda for many years, but we could not even start negotiations. And I hope that we will be able to finish and sign it as soon as possible”.
“Now Armenia is included in the European Peace Facility program, which is also very important. We now have a European civilian monitoring mission in our country, which is also very important. We are in the process of implementing the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU, and we are working very closely,” the Armenian Prime Minister said.
And speaking on Armenia’s economic ties with the EU, Pashinyan noted: “Of course, we want to be closer to the European Union also economically. But on the other hand, we want to be closer to the countries of our region also in terms of economy because, unfortunately, since our independence, we were in a kind of economic isolation because our borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan have been and are closed, and thus change is needed not only in our region, but also in the whole world”.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is also attending the forum and has held several bilateral meetings, including with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The World Economic Forum, which began on January 20 in Davos, Switzerland, will run until January 24 under the theme “Collaboration in the Age of Intelligence.” The event brings together around 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, including 350 state officials and 60 heads of state and government from key regions worldwide.
