YEREVAN—Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) parliamentary faction president Vahan Hovannesian this week pointed to further dangers in a European Union resolution calling for the immediate “withdrawal of Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” Yerkir reported.
Hovanessian, who had called a press briefing on his recent trip to Sofia, Bulgaria, where he attended a European Partnership for Peace conference, also said that international pressure on Armenia over the resolution of the Karabagh conflict and improved relations with Turkey was rising—stemming from foreign interests in the region that were detrimental to Armenia’s national interests.
By highlighting two other articles in the aforementioned resolution on the South Caucasus, Hovannesian warned that efforts were underway to alter the balance of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has been mediating the Karabagh conflict resolution process.
“This should be prevented. France’s mandate in the Minsk Group should not be turned over to the European Union,” he said, explaining that the resolution sought a broader mediating role for Europe by proposing a possible rotating European representation in the Minsk Group.
Another article of the resolution calls for the creation of a Black Sea Union, with Russia and Turkey as its key actors. Hovannesian warned of the dangers to Armenia’s national interests should such a union be formed, pointing to historical examples of Russian-Turkish partnership and its consequences.
Hovannesian criticized Armenian government officials for making and enforcing controversial decisions with disregard for public opinion, especially in face of increased pressure on Armenia by the international community.
“Our authorities have failed to realize that they can have a strong position in the international arena only if they have a strong backbone, which is a society that has trust in the authorities. We don’t have such a society today and that is also evident abroad,” he explained.
Armenian officials must be resolute in their approaches to regional and foreign issues, Hovannesian said, and proposed that Armenia withdraw its signature from the Armenia-Turkey protocols to ensure a more equitable approach to the issue.
“Our authorities must realize that they have to listen to the voice of the opposition…that not listening to the opposition leads to deadlock,” he said, adding that by “opposition” he meant the ARF.
He added that the ARF will continue to be vigilant and point out and correct the mistakes of the authorities, but warned that if blunders continue there will have to be a change in the leadership of the country.
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