Tigran Torosyan
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA)
Background Information
1. Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
2. The party was founded in 1991. It counts approximately 15000 people. The party has 67 subdivisions
all over the republic.
3. The party has 44 seats in the Parliament, is represented by the Prime-Minister and six Ministers in
the government. 30% of the heads of local self-governance organs are members of RPA.
Answers
1. Membership to EU –yes. We have close cooperation with NATO. Armenia is a member of all other European
structures and takes an active part in the processes of European integration.
2. To my mind, all the variants of the answer are complimentary to one another. European integration
is the main strategic direction of our country which concerns all issues and the solution to one issue
should not be viewed in isolation from another. In fact, the European integration means adherence to
the European values which is a basis for work in all directions.
3. Close interrelations of Armenia with the European structures can contribute to introduction of
the European norms into the socio-societal and political relations. I am reiterating myself -- adherence
to European values cannot be associated with solution of a separately taken task even if it were membership
to NATO or receiving pecuniary aid. These are very small and concrete tasks, and adherence to European
standards has a wider scope of application and can lead to great results.
4. The most challenging obstacles on the way to European integration are the following: the Soviet
legacy enrooted in the mentality of the people and the necessity of transition into a democratic system,
which is a very complicated process. All the above-mentioned refers more to integration into EU than
NATO. Frankly speaking, I do not think that NATO is a European structure even though it is often associated
with Europe.
5. If taken formally, the “European standards” are the standards applied within the framework of the
Council of Europe and EU. In other words we can say that European standards are the European values which
are commonly known.
6. Yes, it can. There are countries which go through the transitional period and may fail to reflect
the will of the society at a certain stage of their foreign policy. But as to Armenia specifically, the
foreign policy does reflect the will of the society.
7. The EU countries themselves make efforts to have good relations with their neighbors. This was
the basis for development of the program of New Neighbours. Good relations with the neighbors, for example
Russia, Iran and other countries do not exclude European integration, but just on the contrary, contribute
to it. As to the programs of NATO, EU and CIS, they are not mutually exclusive yet.
8. Integration into the European structures will become one of the main components to safeguard the
security of Armenia.
9. The requirements of the European structures towards integration of the South Caucasus countries
cannot be viewed as isolated conditions because the meaning of integration gets lost. In this respect,
RPA views all these requirements as a whole and consider them as fair. In our reality there are people
who consider some negative phenomena taking place in Europe as European values, and disagreeing with
them, view them as part of European integration. In fact every society, and the European society, too,
has its drawbacks, which in Europe are being fought against tolerantly. And they do not have to be transferred
onto the Armenian soil and be considered European values.
February 2, 2005
