Armenian expert: Europe not ready yet to allow Armenian goods into its markets

ArmInfo. In today's  turbulent world, there is no point in talking about the rule of law,  international law, and the international community. All issues are  now resolved through force and in light of current realities, Armenia  must proceed with caution. This statement was made by Artur  Khachikyan, a Doctor of Political Science at Stanford University in  the USA and a member of the initiative group of the "Mother Armenia"  movement, on December 10 during a conversation with journalists at  the panel discussions titled "Armenia's Participation in  International Integration Associations". The discussions were  organized by the  Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in  Armenia.  "Armenia must be able to develop a proper understanding of  the processes happening around it, accurately calculate its steps  and, under no circumstances, become entangled in the wars of  superpowers," the expert noted.

According to him, Armenia should not  participate in these processes  and  is not able to do so. Instead, it should act solely based on its  own interests. Khachikyan noted that the situation in the South  Caucasus is becoming more complicated day by day.  "When it comes to  economic actions, we must prioritize our own interests and  collaborate with all organizations that align with those interests.  We cannot allow anyone to impose "either-or" conditions on us. We  know how that turned out with Ukraine. It all began with economic  issues surrounding EU integration in 2014," he said.

The expert once again emphasized the importance of acting in our best  interests and not to forget that Armenia is a very small state that  can easily vanish from the world map due to wrong calculations.  When  asked if Armenia can use BRICS to advance its interests, Khachikyan  gave an affirmative answer, emphasizing the importance of Yerevan  diversifying its ties with foreign countries. "We shouldn't be  limited to choosing between Russia or the West. There are many  important countries in our region and in the Persian Gulf, such as  India, China. We need to diversify our connections and ensure that  they have a stake in us, that is, create interests within our  territory for them, including through participation in the  North-South and West-East transport corridors. By participating in  these projects, we can gain benefits and ensure our security to some  extent," the political scientist added. He noted that this is a huge  and already accessible market for Armenia, as many of its partners  are already participating in this informal club. He is confident that  it would be reckless to give up all of this and shift towards the  West. 

"If there is any research or proposal that shows how we will receive  the same gas, oil, and grain, as well as where we will sell our wine  and food, and if Europe is ready to open its stores for our products,  then I would be happy to consider it. But I do not see any such  trends. We seem to constantly politicize the economy," Khachikyan  summed up.  According to the RA Statistical Committee, Armenia's  foreign trade turnover with the EU countries in January-October 2024  was $1.9 billion, accounting for 7.3% of the total), with an annual  decline of 14.9%.  Both import and export in the direction of the EU,  saw decreases of 11.9% and 22.3%, totaling $1.4 billion and $500.3  million, respectively. As a result, the EU's share in exports dropped  to 4.3% and in imports to 9.7%. The negative balance of Armenia's  foreign trade with the EU decreased from $969 million to $920 million  year-on-year.