ArmInfo.The visit of President of the European Council Charles Michel and the forthcoming visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Armenia are evidence of the EU's ambitions in the South Caucasus direction. Political scientist Robert Ghevondyan expressed this opinion to ArmInfo.
"The fact is that quite serious processes are already taking place in the South Caucasus, which have a direct relationship with geopolitics and even global politics. The EU's provision of unprecedented financial assistance to Armenia seems to be part of these processes. I suppose that the visit of Charles Michel and the forthcoming visit of the French President to Armenia are also directly related to these impulses. We see the readiness of Brussels for more active participation in the foreign policy agenda of Yerevan in the very statements of the head of the Council of Europe in Yerevan," he said.
President of the European Council Charles Michel, who was in Yerevan on July 16-17, at a joint briefing with Nikol Pashinyan, voiced the EU's desire to "be involved in the region." "The EU stands by Armenia as a loyal and constructive partner to help you deal with different challenges, but also to uphold the values we all believe in - human values and democracy, and after all, to ensure progress, prosperity, stability and security. I have to convey a strong message: we stand by Armenia, and I hereby confirm the decision of the European Union to mobilize an unprecedented financial package of 2.6 billion euros in support of Armenia's priorities," Charles Michel noted.
According to the political scientist, Yerevan, in response to these steps of Brussels, is now ready to carry out a counter policy not only in the European direction. According to his forecasts, in the current conditions Armenia will try to increase its foreign policy activity in all possible vectors corresponding to its national interests. "This is not just about the European or Russian vector, but also about China, Iran and the Middle East in general," Ghevondyan stressed. Returning to the European prospects of Armenia, the political scientist noted the presence of the country, including the interest of the North Atlantic Alliance.
In his words, the ambassadors of the respective NATO countries in Armenia recently voiced the openness and readiness of the Alliance to cooperate with Yerevan. And, according to Ghevondyan, NATO is awaiting corresponding proposals from Armenia today. Proceeding from the recent impulses of the West in the Armenian direction, the political scientist assumes that Yerevan has already voiced the corresponding proposals.
The European Union intends to allocate more than 2.6 billion euros to Armenia in the next 5 years for five key programs, including the development of the Syunik region. The document was presented and approved on July 2 in Brussels, it specifies the initiatives that the European Commission intends to implement by 2025 in the member countries of the Eastern Partnership.