Armenia Prime Minister Pashinyan to EF for PanEuropean area of EU and Russia+: = Hope !

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- The new Armenian Prime Minister, Nicol Pashinyan, speaking to "Eurofora" at his 1st Visit to the CoE, vowed to go Straight Ahead with Erevan's original stance on seeking a similar position vis a vis Russia's Free Trade Area and EU's Common Markert, stressing his Hope that such a Strategic Policy will prove to be Succesfull, and well Conscious of the Fact that, in such a case, the move could have a much Wider, PanEuropean impact in the foreseable Future (See Infra).

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Pashinyan spoke to "Eurofora" in front of a new Memorial of the Armenian Genocide, set up at CoE's main entrance, just Hours after French President Emmanuel Macron (the Next CoE's Chairman, for May-November 2019) had inked a paper officially establshing April 24 as Day of Remembrance. Turkey threatened France to face "Consequences", but, meanwhile, it's  also Italy's Parliament which has just adopted a similar Resolution urging Rome's new Government to do like Paris...

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"Socialist" former EU Commissioner Fuhle, in charge of Enlargement and Eastern Partnership had Claimed in the Past, at a Speech to EU Parliament's plenary in Strasbourg, that  there would be an InCombatibility between EU's and Russia's Trade Areas de facto, mainly because of probable Differend Policies on Taxes at Foreign Trade.

Coming at a Crucial moment, back on Autumn 2013, when Ukraine had to make Hard Choices in this regard, such Claims pushed Kiev towards the Bloody Crisis which followed with Brutal Clashes at Kiev, etc, from February 2014, provoking the still Deadly Ukranian Conflict, which Divides Europe since then : As a consequence, such a Sharp Divide Restricted Growth in Europe, as OECD's Head, Angel Gurria, had Warned, meanwhile,  "Eurofora", (See f.ex.: ...), while Azerbaidjan was pushed towards squarely prefering the Russian-Kazakstan+ Trade Area, instead, (etc).  German Chancellor Angie Merkel's initial Intention to Search for a workable Compromise, able to Link, instead of Dividing EU's and Russia's Free Trade Areas, as she had Vowed in her Press Conference at the December 2013 EU Summit in Brussels, (See relevant "Eurofora"s NewsReports from the spot), was brutaly Hindered when she suddenly faced an Unrecedented Painful Incident at a Popular Swiss ressort, Obliging her to walk only with 2 Crunches on January 2014, afer which, she was Bypassed and overtaken by Events in Kiev's Deadly Clashes, since February 2014, resulting in a sharply Divided Europe...

Armenia was, practically, the 1st relevant Country of EU's Eastern Partnership to claim that such painful Dillemas could have (and should have) been Avoided, by trying to Link Both to EU's and Russia's Free Trade Areas, in a way wich aimed at the progressive creation of a Big, PanEuropean+ Trade Area, from Portugal up to Vladivostok, (as several Key EU Leaders supported, including, f.ex., Austria's Sebastian Kurz, a ChristianDemocrat/EPP : Comp., among others, also, f.ex. Kurz's Replies to "Eurofora"s Questions on the sidelines of EU Summits in Brussels, etc), but with unclear and/or unknown yet results.

>>> So that the New Armenian President's Reply to a relevant "Eurofora"s Question Today, concerning that Original Strategic Direction of his Country, and whether he believed that this could really be Succesfull in practice, was of Key Importance nowadays :

- "Yes, we really do Hope so !", President Pashinyan clearly and Optimistically stressed in Reply to Our above mentioned Query.

=> Asked whether Armenia was Willing to Resolutely Pursue that Policy and Advance ahead in this original Direction also in the foreseable Future, he appeared Adamant, and without any doubt.

(Significantly, President Pashinyan Carefully asked "Eurofora" to Repeat our Questions, taking a Moment to Think before Reacting to them, so that this really seems too be what he, effectively, intends to do).

+ Finally, the new Armenian Leader, appeared clearly Conscious of the Fact that his Country's original position on this Key matter is of Strategic Importance for All Europe, and, therefore, it's Also several Other EU Member, Candidate,  or otherwise Interested Countries who would be willing to keep clearly Informed on what is really happening about that Issue, so that it would, in fact, have a much Wider Impact throughout all Europe : President Pashiyan clearly showed that he Aknowledged that, and Agreed.

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++ Indeed, just a few Hours Earlier, he had also declared so, in a Series of Replies to various MEPs' Questions in CoE's Plenary Debates, (Comp. Supra), also in relation with Various Other Relevant key Points :

- F.ex. : - "We must build a Constructive relationship with All our international partners and try to resolve the issues that arise", Pashinyan urged in Conclusion, as a matter of General Principle.

- "Are we pro-Europe or pro-Russia? When I was a member of the opposition, I declared that I did not accept that Armenia or any other country ought to be pro-Russia, pro-Europe, pro-America or whatever", he added.

=> So that, " We (Amenia) are Determined to develop our relations with All our International Partners", he stressed :

- Indeed, "Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union; we (even) currently have the Presidency of that organisation and will do whatever we can to make the EEU more effective. We have a Strategic relationship with Russia and we will do whatever it takes to Develop it. We are a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and we will do our best to make our participation in the organisation and the organisation itself more effective"

+ At the Same Time, "We currently have an Excellent relationship with the European Union", Panishyan added. F.ex., the "Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement" that we have Signed with the EU overlaps squarely with my Government’s Reform Agenda", he pointed out, inter alia.  

(../..)

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