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ArmenGrigoryan
AlthoughSargsyanmadethedecisionaboutCustomsUnionmembership
unilaterally,withoutconsultingparliamentormembersofgovernment,none
oftheofficialswhohadearlierspokenagainstitexpressedanydisagreement.
Quitethecontrary,theyweresupportiveofthepresident’sdecision.Inless
thanfourmonths,amembershiproadmapwasprepared;incontrast,the
negotiationsontheEU-ArmeniaAssociationAgreementhadtakennearly
threeyears,includingtheDCFTAnegotiations,whichlastedaboutayear
andahalf.
TheArmenianPoliticalParties’AttitudestotheEEUTreaty
RatificationProcess
BySeptember2013itwaspredictablethatArmenia’snationalassembly
wouldratifyanytreatysignedbySargsyan.3WhilethegoverningRepublican
PartyofArmenia(RPA)anditssatellite,theRuleofLawParty,hada
parliamentarymajoritylargeenoughtopassanydecision,inthecaseofthe
EEUaccessiontreatyitimmediatelybecameclearthatmostoftheopposition
MPswouldalsovoteinfavour.Althoughtheparliamentaryopposition
drivenmainlybytheProsperousArmeniaParty(PAP)anditsallyatthe
time,theArmenianNationalCongress(ANC),wererepeatedlycriticising
thepresidentandthegovernment,theydidnotopposethedecisiontojoin
theEEU.Asmallerparliamentaryfaction,theArmenianRevolutionary
FederationDashnaktsutyun(ARF),hastraditionallybeenpro-Russian.The
PAP
,ANCandARFhavebeenavoidingcriticismofRussia’spolicieson
virtuallyanyissue,includingevenarmssalestoAzerbaijan.Togetherwith
therulingcoalition,theyalsopraisedthe“referendum”inCrimeainMarch
2014.
ThePAP
,withthesecondlargestparliamentaryfaction,wastotally
dependentonitsfounderGagikTsarukyan,oneofArmenia’swealthiest
businessmen.InadditiontohavinglargebusinessinterestsinRussia,
heoftenboastedofhispersonalfriendshipwithBelarusianPresident
AlexanderLukashenka.Tsarukyannotonlyshowedconsistentsupportfor
Armenia’smembershipoftheCustomsUnion/EEU,butthemediaoutlets
hecontrolledvilifiedthegovernmentandcriticisednegotiationswiththe
3
See:A.Grigoryan,“ArmeniaChoosesCustomsUnionoverEUAssociation
Agreement,”TheCentralAsia-CaucasusAnalyst,vol.15,no.18,September2013,p.5,
www.cacianalyst.org.
8
ThePolishQuarterlyofInternationalAffairs,2015,no.4