Lithuanian diplomat does not understand Russia's irritation with Armenia's forthcoming Association Membership in EU

The talks on initialing of the Armenia-EU Association Agreement will have been over by the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November 2013, Ambassador-at-Large of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Vaidotas Verba said when replying to ArmInfo's question. 

He thinks that there are all prerequisites for sooner initialing of the agreement. "As far as I know, the Association Agreement is almost ready, the finishing touches are put in the document on Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area", he said. The Ambassador regrets that after initialing the agreement, it will take Armenia long to undergo the relevant EU procedures and fully become an associate member.   

Verba said that he does not understand Russia's irritation with Armenia's initialing the Association Agreement. He thinks that European integration does not rule out other ways of development. "The EU does not insist or force; countries make their choice themselves. Armenia has also made its choice and we help it", he said.  

To recall, on July 10 Stefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, said in Yerevan that the European Union does not make Armenia choose between the integration projects. Fule thinks that the signing of the Association Agreement will not restrict Armenia's interaction with other countries. In the meantime, the European Commissioner stressed that there should be elementary compatibility between the two integration projects. He said that the EU does not force its partners to restrict their relations with Russia. He added that the EU will encourage the cooperation with Russia in the fields that meet Armenia's interests.