<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s1600/p-022221-00-43.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ptk7PYTpLSU/UPkbl6v2JdI/AAAAAAAAAKs/uW0N6SAcZ6E/s320/p-022221-00-43.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">EU-Armenia, Foto:&nbsp;<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en" target="_blank">Photographic service of the Council of the EU &copy;</a></span></span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/index.cfm?sitelang=en" target="_blank">European Communities</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b>Elections in the Post-Soviet space </b><b><span class="b4">are i</span><span class="b3">ncr</span><span class="b2">easin</span><span class="b1">gl</span>y an European task and respon<span class="b1">si</span><span class="b2">bilit</span><span class="b3">y but mostly are </span><span class="b5">leaving everything the</span><span class="b4"> wa</span><span class="b3">y it</span><span class="b4"> is.</span></b><span class="b4"> Just take a look on Ukraine. Armenia is also preparing to hold elections in 2013. The European Union is getting ready for surprises but is more prepared after the Ukraine&#39;s election in 2012.</span> Perhaps...<i><b> </b></i></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations. But Russia </span>is offering <span class="b3">more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;.</span> But everything depends on Armenia.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On February 18, 2013 Armenia is going to be asked to elect a new President. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The 2013 Presidential election campaign officially launched today (21 January 2013), <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42692/presidential_election2013_candidates_campaign_officially_launched" target="_blank">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And the candidates are already known: <a href="http://www.elect.am/serzh-sargsyan/" target="_blank">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (see his campaign platform <a href="http://www.serzhsargsyan.am/" target="_blank">here</a>), the Armenian President in office; <a href="http://www.elect.am/hrant-bagratyan/" target="_blank">Hrant Bagratyan</a> (see his </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">campaign platform <a href="http://bagratyanpresident.am/index.php/am/2013-01-14-16-16-09/2013-01-14-16-23-40#" target="_blank">here</a>), a former prime minister and the leader of Freedom party; <a href="http://www.elect.am/raffi-hovannisian/" target="_blank">Raffi Hovhannisian</a> (see his </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">campaign platform <a href="http://raffi4president.am/en" target="_blank">here</a>), a former foreign minister and the leader of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party; <a href="http://www.elect.am/paruyr-hayrikyan/" target="_blank">Paruyr Hayrikyan</a> (see his </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">campaign platform <a href="http://hayrikyan.com/" target="_blank">here</a>), a prominent Soviet-era dissident and the head of the National Self-Determination Party; <a href="http://www.elect.am/arman-melikyan/" target="_blank">Arman Melikyan</a>, a former foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; <a href="http://www.elect.am/andreas-ghukasyan/" target="_blank">Andrias Ghukasyan</a>, a political analyst and head of Radio Hay; <a href="http://ru.sedrakyan.net/ob-avtore" target="_blank">Vardan Sedrakyan</a>, a specialist in epics, and <a href="http://www.elect.am/aram-harutyunyan/" target="_blank">Aram Harutyunyan</a>, leader of National Consent party will compete for the Presidency.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">However, <b>Stepa Safaryan, general secretary of Zharangutiun (Heritage) party pointed out Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovannisian as most likely vote-getters in the presidential elections</b>, cited by <a href="http://arka.am/en/news/politics/opinion_serzh_sargsyan_and_raffi_hovannisian_most_likely_vote_getters_in_armenian_presidential_elect/" target="_blank">Arka News Agency</a>. Of course, the other candidates could seek avenues to mount a challenge to the present president. But the opposition is so fragmentated and n</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">o one of the candidates is going to back any of the eight candidates running for president in Armenia, <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42641/armenia_presidential_election_2013_single_candidate_search" target="_blank">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It is inevitab<span class="b1">le</span><span class="b2"> that</span><span class="b3"> there </span><span class="b2">would</span><span class="b1"> b</span>e disputes about the outcome of the election. But the Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan points out in advance that the 2013 presidential election will be most democratic in Armenia&rsquo;s history. &ldquo;I am convinced that this election will be most stainless and democratic and that it will leave behind all the previous elections,&rdquo; <a href="http://arka.am/en/news/politics/minister_2013_presidential_election_to_be_most_democratic_in_armenia_s_history/" target="_blank">he was quoted</a>. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop for prosecutors and defense attorneys in Yerevan stated that </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Armenia will pass the upcoming election test with brilliance, <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42602/armenia_presidential_elections2013_police_chief_vladimir_gasparyan" target="_blank">he was quoted</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="b5">Does Europe tru</span><span class="b4">st</span><span class="b3"> them t</span><span class="b2">o pl</span><span class="b1">ay</span> their part correctly as guardian of the Justice? Or does Europe trust Foreign Minister </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Edward Nalbandian who also <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42438/armenia_presidential_election_osce_odihr_observation_mission" target="_blank">stated</a> that the Armenian government is committed to holding next month&rsquo;s presidential election in conformity with European standards. Election in conformity with European standards will be the key, but <span class="b5">it seems to me</span><span class="b4"> </span><span class="b3">a</span><span class="b2"> </span><span class="b1">ma</span>tter of great urgency that there will be another reality.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Of course it is hard to expect from Non-EU member to compete with standards within the European Union, although member states faces many difficulties coming from membership. &quot;(T)he expansion of EU decision making limits the range of party policy positions at elections. Policy convergence means parties taking positions in the issue space closer to those held by their rivals and that consequently the distribution of party positions becomes more compact. EU legislation restricts the policy alternatives available to governments and, due to the electoral link, to parties and citizens. The more responsibility is assigned to the EU, the less room there is for parties to offer credible policy alternatives that differ markedly from EU legislation,&quot; </span><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2012.02063.x/pdf" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Kyriaki Nanou and Han Dorussen argue</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">T</span><span class="b2" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">he</span><span class="b3" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> EU </span><span class="b4" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">would b</span><span class="b5" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">e well advised t</span><span class="b4" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">o </span><span class="b3" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">set </span><span class="b2" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">very</span><span class="b1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> a</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">mbitious targets for its Eastern Partnership policy as the evident risks to democracy in the immediate neighbourhood call for greater sustainability and consequence.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">What is happening with freedoms in Armenia?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b class="b3">The </b><b class="b2">truth </b><b class="b3">is</b><b class="b2"> that </b><b class="b3">time is ru</b><b class="b2">nnin</b><b class="b1">g</b><b class="b2"> out <b class="b2">and</b><b class="b1"> the</b><b class="b2">re is st</b><b class="b1">il</b>l a lot to be done in Armenia</b><b class="b2">.</b><span class="b2"> </span>Recently <a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/" target="_blank">Freedom House</a>, <a href="http://www.controlrisks.com/Pages/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Control Risks</a>, <a href="http://www.fraserinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Fraser Institute</a>, </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.weforum.org/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a> and <a href="http://www.pwc.com/" target="_blank">Price Waterhouse Cooper</a> published their recent reports on freedoms in the world. But a<span class="b1">ct</span><span class="b2">ual r</span><span class="b5">esults </span><span class="b4">di</span><span class="b3">ffe</span><span class="b2">r fro</span><span class="b1">m </span>those reflected in the forward-looking statements.&nbsp;</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Regarding Freedom House report &quot;<a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf" target="_blank">Freedom in the World 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is a partly free country, the net is partly free, but the press is not free. The regime is classified as a semi-consolidated authoritarian regime.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Due to the &quot;<a href="http://www.controlrisks.com/RiskMap/Pages/Security.aspx" target="_blank">RiskMap Report 2013</a>&quot; Armenia is presented as a country with high political and security risks. On issues related the economy for Armenia </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">is s</span><span class="b4">om</span><span class="b5">e light a</span><span class="b4">t </span><span class="b3">the</span><span class="b2"> end of t</span><span class="b3">he tunnel.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">The Fraser Institute report &quot;<a href="http://www.fraserinstitute.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=4051" target="_blank">Economic Freedom of the World</a>&quot; ranks Armenia #53 and considers it as a relatively free country. The 2013 election should be a signal to Europe: We are carrying out our European path.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">The World Economic Forum report &quot;</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="js-wrap"><a href="http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-enabling-trade-report-2012" target="_blank">The Global Enabling Trade Report 2012</a>&quot; </span>ranks Armenia #13 worldwide for market access and #59 in terms of the overall extent to which it has developed institutions, policies, and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Price Waterhouse Cooper, in its most recent &quot;<a href="http://www.pwc.com/am/en/assets/pdf/am_doing_business_guide_2011-2012.pdf" target="_blank">Doing Business in Armenia guide</a>&quot;, reported that, &ldquo;Armenia encourages foreign trade and investment,&rdquo; and that, &ldquo;(s)urveys suggest that Armenia is a relatively easy country in which to do business.&rdquo;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"> </span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Concerns are coming from other sides, too.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"><a href="http://www.pf-armenia.org/" target="_blank">Policy Forum Armenia</a> r</span>eport, entitled <a href="http://pfa-dr.ectostarpark.com/press-release/pfa-special-report-armenias-2012-parliamentary-election" target="_blank">&ldquo;Armenia&rsquo;s 2012 Parliamentary Election&rdquo;</a> summarizes: &quot;(The report) demonstrates that the election fraud in Armenia has taken subtle and sophisticated forms that are difficult to detect because it occurs mostly outside of the polling stations. In fact, while acknowledging some marginal improvements, we believe that the systematic fraud applied by the authorities (and uncovered in the Report via the use of statistical techniques) was sufficient to materially alter the election outcome.&quot;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has already </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">concerns mainly about the &ldquo;continuing substantial inaccuracies in the voter lists&rdquo;, as <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/vote_2013/42643/armenia_presidential_election_2013_pace_observers" target="_blank">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. Head of the PACE election monitoring mission Karin Woldseth said that &ldquo;the delegation was disappointed to see that the previous recommendations regarding the voter lists have not been implemented&rdquo;, whereas &ldquo;accurate voter lists are an essential prerequisite for any proper election.&rdquo;</span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b class="b3">So</b><b class="b2"> ther</b><b class="b1">e ar</b><b class="b2">e a </b><b class="b3">lot</b><b class="b2"> of </b><b class="b1">issues to be solved before the election. Analyzing the results&nbsp;I conclude: In terms of democratic freedoms Armenia demonstrates a lack of political commitment on democracy progress. In terms of economic freedoms Armenia is making some valuable progress.</b> These developments could have </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">consequences for the relations with the European Union and Russia. But is the European Union prepared for surprises?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">Shuttle diplomacy and reassurement over European path</span></span></b><br />&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s1600/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpq_ziuXtw/UPkqWKUjvYI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yssoqeF7yM0/s320/Shuttle+Diplomacy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Shuttle Diplomacy, Graphic: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EU21Global/122136604509551" target="_blank">@Hristofor Hrisoskulov</a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Brussels and Yerevan and vice versa in 2012 and at the beginning of 2013. On the European side, <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_PRES-12-315_en.htm" target="_blank">Herman van Rompuy</a>, <a href="http://www.armradio.am/en/2012/12/01/jose-manuel-barroso-it-is-amazing-to-see-what-armenia-has-given-to-the-civilization/" target="_blank">Jose Manuel Barroso</a>, <a href="http://eunewsletter.am/eu-armenia/stefan-fule-in-armenia-ongoing-reforms-discussed" target="_blank">Stefan Füle</a> and <a href="http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/131321.pdf" target="_blank">Catherine Ashton</a> visited Yerevan.</span> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The EU member states Bulgaria, Sweden and Poland supported the EU in this context. In December 2012 <a href="http://www.mfa.government.bg/en/events/6/1/603/index.html" target="_blank">Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski paid a visit to Armenia</a> during a trip in the South Caucasus.<b> </b>On the Armenian side, <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-159_en.htm" target="_blank">Serzh Sargsyan</a> (President of Armenia), <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-11-873_en.htm?locale=en" target="_blank">Tigran Sargsyan</a> (Prime Minister), <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-8_en.htm" target="_blank">Hovik Abramyan</a> (Speaker of the Armenian Parliament), <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/41688/presidential_election_gagik_tsarukyan_prosperous_armenia_party_brussels" target="_blank">Gagik Tsarukyan</a> (Leader of the Armenian political party &quot;Prosperous Armenia&quot;) and <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=91243" target="_blank">Edward Nalbandian</a> (Armenian Foreign Minsiter) visited Brussels.</span></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">The question is: <b>What is hidden behind all the statemnets made after every meeting?</b> In order to answer the question I picked up four words, namely <b>elections</b>, <b>Association Agreement</b>, <b>visa </b>(agreement, facilitation and liberalization) and <b>Europ+EU</b> as repeated in the statements attached as a link behind the mentioned names above. <b>In this way a specific picture of EU-Armenia relations shifted</b></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><span class="b3"> into t</span><span class="b4">he </span><span class="b5">foreground</span><span class="b4"> as</span><span class="b3"> a model of future relations: <u><i>There are more &quot;sticks&quot; than &quot;carrots&quot; for EU support of EU-Armenian relations</i></u>.<i>&nbsp;</i></span></b></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">The </span><span class="b3">words<b> </b>&quot;Association Agreemnet&quot; and &quot;visa </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">(agreement, facilitation and liberalization)&quot; have been used by the officials 17 times, whereas the word &quot;elections&quot; - 19 times. <b>&quot;Association Agreement&quot; and &quot;visa&quot; appear in the context of offering something, of rewarding some performance done, whereas &quot;elections&quot; has been used in the context of advising and instructing the other part (in this sense Armenia) to be crucial on the upcoming events in the country.</b> With regard to &quot;Europe+EU&quot; (counted 66 times) I </span>should like briefly to go into the common proposals in the statements which now come wit<span class="b1">hi</span><span class="b2">n a w</span><span class="b3">ide</span><span class="b4">r context; </span><span class="b3">thi</span><span class="b2">s app</span><span class="b1">li</span>es, for example, to the proposal on supporting the European path of Armenia and </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"><span class="b2">c</span><span class="b1">on</span>firming the appro<span class="b1">ac</span><span class="b2">h alr</span><span class="b3">ead</span><span class="b4">y taken</span>.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">It seems that &quot;European officials are still skeptical about the Armenian government&rsquo;s intention to integrate with the European community. <b>They do not completely trust these assurances as all steps taken by Armenia so far in this direction have mostly been of a declarative nature.</b> Meanwhile, democratic reforms that are a condition for European integration have not become tangible in Armenia yet. (...) Still, political analyst Levon Margaryan thinks that the relations between Armenia and the EU have been taken to a new level where Armenia should prove that it is ready to bring not only its laws, but also practices in line with European standards,&quot; <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/news/42460/armenia_eu_hovik_abrahamyan_visit_brussels" target="_blank">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <b><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">Growing competition between the West and Russia for influence in Armenia: Economy and democracy vs. Security?</span></span></b><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">A lot of diplomats &quot;shuttled&quot; between Yerevan and Moscow, too. <a href="http://massispost.com/archives/6375" target="_blank">Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Russia</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">attending the <a href="http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_19/Moscow-to-host-three-CIS-related-summits-today/" target="_blank">summits of the CIS and the Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)</a>, Vladimir Putin, </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">Dmitri Medvedev and Chairman of both Chambers of the State Duma and ministers visited on their side Yerevan. And Mr. Putin goes further: &quot;I want to reiterate that the countries of the Commonwealth are our most intimate &ndash; in the true sense of the word &ndash; strategic partners. Virtually all aspects of interaction with you are vital for our country,&quot; Putin said <a href="http://massispost.com/archives/6375" target="_blank">cited by Massis Post</a>. </span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b2">I</span><span class="b4">t w</span><span class="b5">as not wi</span><span class="b4">thout </span><span class="b3">rea</span><span class="b2">son t</span><span class="b1">ha</span>t US Foreign Minister Hillary Clinton warned on the situation in the Post-Soviet space and the rising attempts of Vladimir Putin to get closer </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">to Russia </span>all the neighbouring countries. As she stated: <b>&quot;There is a move to re-Sovietise the region.&quot;</b> Andrew Weiss, who served on the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton and now is at the US Rand Corporation think-tank, said Mr. Putin made clear when he returned to the presidency this year that he planned to focus on bolstering Russia&rsquo;s influence in its neighbourhood. But he added: &quot;Elites in the neighbouring states show little enthusiasm for simply handing over their autonomy and sovereignty to Moscow,&quot; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a5b15b14-3fcf-11e2-9f71-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2IUXTW3Cf" target="_blank">Charles Clover writes in the Financial Times</a>.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">&quot;</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">2012 has showed that Armenian authorities feel like developing closer relations with the West, but are not going to spoil relations with Russia. Moreover, a certain division of labor could be noticed &ndash; Armenia seems to have entrusted its security to Russia, as a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, but is seeking to integrate with the European Union and develop closer ties with the United States in terms of economy and democracy,&quot; <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/42304/armenia_foreign_policy_karabakh_azerbaijan_russia_eu_usa_genocide_2012" target="_blank">ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>. And </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">Secretary of Armenia&rsquo;s National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">believes that <b>Armenia&rsquo;s integration into the European Union (EU) should not be contrasted with its integration into the Eurasian Union</b>, <a href="http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook" target="_blank">Tert.am reports</a>.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"><b>&nbsp;</b></span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"><b>In relations with countries in the Post-Soviet space Russia&#39;s approach differs from the EU&#39;s approach. <u><i>There are more &quot;security carrots&quot; than &quot;democracy sticks&quot;</i></u>.</b></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">&nbsp; So just let me give few examples of how Russia is trying to integrate Armenia into Russian-led organizations:</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">&nbsp;</span></span></p><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">Russian news agencies, citing the Kremlin, disseminated a slightly odd piece of information saying that &ldquo;Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with the government&rsquo;s proposal to hold talks with Armenia for the signing of the agreement on the development of military-technical cooperation&rdquo; and that &ldquo;after the conclusion of the negotiations the Government has been instructed to sign an agreement with this country&rdquo;, <a href="http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/42571/armenia_russia_military_cooperation_azerbaijan_karabakh_defense_treaty" target="_blank">as ArmeniaNow.com reported</a>.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">And </span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://english.pravda.ru/world/ussr/11-01-2013/123447-russia_armenia-0/#.UPj8hbxEu1c.facebook" target="_blank">Lisa Karpova in Pravda.ru</a>: &quot;To further develop Russian-Armenian cooperation, President Vladimir Putin&#39;s Government appointed the Russian Transport Minister, Maxim Sokolov, as co-chairman for the bilateral commission, which has the task of drafting a roadmap of Russian-Armenian economic relations until 2020.&quot;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">A joint document was signed after Dmitri Medvedev visited Armenia. It envisaged Russian military presence in Armenia and joint protection of Armenia&rsquo;s borders by the Armenian and Russian armed forces, <a href="http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/01/11/eurasian-union-european-union/#.UPOmK5JoSm0.facebook" target="_blank">as Tert.am reported</a>.</span></li></ul><p><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">Due to its geographic location Armenia is really concerned on security issues. For sure, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other conflicts in the immediate neighbourhood are topics that should be taken into consideration regarding Armeian foreign policy. <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/profile/gordon-n-bardos" target="_blank">Gordon N. Bardos</a> in his article <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook" target="_blank">&quot;</a></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook" target="_blank">Spectre of Separatism Haunts Europe</a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><a href="http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/spectre-separatism-haunts-europe-7979#.UPgbT6UNC1c.facebook" target="_blank">&quot;</a> in <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/" target="_blank">The National Interest</a> argues that &quot;<span class="b3">Balkans and the Caucasus (are) the stuff of nightmares for cartographers and diplomats trying to reconcile competing ethnic claims to territory. In the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, the Kurds of eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, and the Turks of northern Cyprus have all declared some form of independence or autonomy&quot;.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3">Of course, in accordance with Russian offers the European Union is asked to do more than statements: &quot;<span class="nannbl">The EU has a strong interest in a stable neighbourhood; this is the raison d&#39;etre of our European Neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership policies. The EU actively supports the mediation process of the OSCE Minsk Group, we have important assistance projects to build confidence between the parties to the conflict, while the efforts of our EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the conflict in Georgia, Ambassador Lefort, fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group in a complementary way&quot;, </span></span></span><a href="http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"><span class="nannbl"><span class="nannbl">Jose Manuel Barroso stated in a interview with </span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span class="b3"><a href="http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/6368/" target="_blank"><span class="nannbl"><span class="nannbl"><span class="nannbl">Mediamax</span></span></span></a>.</span></span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><span class="b3"><span class="b2">It is</span><span class="b1"> t</span>herefore my view that the European Union<span class="b3"> would </span><span class="b2">have be</span><span class="b3">en </span><span class="b4">well</span><span class="b3">-advised </span><span class="b2">to </span></span></b></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><span class="b3"><span class="b2"><b class="b5">precisely </b>f</span><span class="b1">ol</span>low the thinking in Armenia, but </span></b></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><span class="b3"><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><b><span class="b3">consequently and sustainable </span></b></span>to</span> stand up for rights, international conventions and democracy<span class="b3"> and </span></b><b>als<span class="b1">o </span><span class="b2">stron</span><span class="b3">gly</span><span class="b4"> reaffirm </span><span class="b3">as </span><span class="b2">a pre</span><span class="b1">ss</span>ing requiremen<span class="b1">t </span><span class="b2">of free and fair elections.</span></b></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>See the original article <a href="http://eu21global.blogspot.com/2013/01/armenia-reloaded-2013-elections-and.html">here</a>.</p>