ArmInfo. Armenia has changed over the past 12 months. This opinion was expressed by head of the EU delegation in Armenia, Piotr Switsalski.
In an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian service Switsalski, also spoke about the support of Brussels to the programs of the Armenian government. According to him, currently in European Commission between EU member states the discussions are underway on the following promising funding, which will also affect the neighboring countries, including Armenia. "From the discussions that have already taken place, I can conclude that the European Commission intends not only to maintain the current level of financial obligations, but also to increase it. And I hope that the policy of the European Commission, these proposals of the European Commission will be largely supported by the European Parliament and the European Council, "the EU Ambassador to Armenia said.
Switsalski also touched upon the so-called priority projects, which the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan presented during his recent visit to Brussels and related to infrastructure. According to the ambassador, projects such as continuing the construction of the North-South corridor to the Iranian border and the construction of hydropower plants presented by Armenia are expensive and technically difficult. This, as Switsalski noted, can be about hundreds of millions of euros.
<These are very expensive projects, even by the standards of the EU. But, as I said, we take this very seriously and work with your government to find the best ways to implement them. As your Prime Minister said after the talks in Brussels, you should not expect the EU to provide so many grants that they will cover all costs, but you need to find opportunities for cheap loans, which will be equal to grants, and find the optimal financing tool. But we are in a very constructive mood, " Ambassador Switalski said.
When asked to evaluate the activities of the new Armenian government, Switsalski answered that he believes that the assessment of the Armenian people is more important than the assessment of the partners of the Armenian government. <The voice of the Armenian people is much more important than ours. But I think that in these 12 months Armenia has changed, there are undeniable achievements, undeniable successes, first of all, from our point of view, in the field of the fight against corruption. We can state the unprecedented political will to fight corruption. And I think that a new atmosphere has been formed around this very important topic, which is of priority importance for the future of Armenia, not only in terms of economy, but also in terms of political development. So, the achievements here are obvious, tangible and appreciated. Of course, Armenia should continue to create an appropriate legal and institutional framework to combat corruption, but the political will for this is already visible, "the EU Ambassador said.
According to Switsalski, the last year also showed that "Armenian citizens became equal before the law". <There is no impunity, no groups, individuals who have a special status or are protected from using legal mechanisms. So, in this sense, I think the citizens of Armenia are also convinced that the country is now functioning in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, which are used by Western societies, including in the societies of the EU countries>, he said. Switsalski also noted <very important achievements> in the separation of politics from business. "There are no special interests in the economy that would be under special political protection. It is also very useful for the economic activities of ordinary citizens,> he said.
<So, achievements are indisputable, and as a partner of Armenia, we appreciate it. Now we are telling our Armenian friends that they have to determine how we, as the EU, can help develop the reform agenda, because one thing is to eliminate the bad, but now Armenia has a big task - to develop the right model for the future, the right model for democracy, including constitutional regulations, the right model for the economy, social security, and so on, "the EU Ambassador Piotr Switsalski stressed.