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Friday, 7 May 2010

SPEECH OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA AT THE EPP GROUP BUREAU MEETING EASTERN PARTNERSHIP: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES FOR THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT

(6 May 2010, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic)

Distinguished Chairman;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is my great honor to address this Bureau Meeting of the EPP Group on behalf of the Republican Party of Armenia.
Under the leadership of President Serzh Sargsyan, the Republican Party is responsible for the reforms currently underway in Armenia.

The lively debate around the “Eastern” aims of the European Union continues.
In my brief statement, I shall outline our vision of the challenges and perspectives of the Eastern Partnership.

We should examine the EP in the context of today’s changing world and its impact on Europe and Armenia.

Change happens as we speak. We wonder what the world will look like in 10, 20, or 50 years.
What will the world look like? What kind of world would we like to live in? And what can we do to make it the world we want to live in?
The answers to these questions will largely determine the substance that we are going to inject into the Eastern Partnership program.

Several premises underlie the Program of the Armenian Government.
First: the speed of change in today’s world is rapidly increasing. We must build a society that keeps pace with such change.
Second: the world is becoming smaller, resulting in greater interconnection and interdependence. New forms of dialogue and coexistence are needed.
Third: intellect is becoming the driving force of modern societies. The education system should facilitate knowledge-based economic development.
Fourth: self-identification is becoming increasingly important, for large and small nations alike. How do nations see themselves in the twenty-first century? What civilization do they identify with? And how should dialogue be conducted between nations with varied declared and actual values?
Fifth: the need to respect individual freedoms is becoming self-evident in the twenty-first century. Any government aspiring to build a modern society must put in place conditions for self-actualization, meaning that individuals are able to fully realize their intellectual abilities and talents.

Based on this framework, what can we contribute to the substance of the Eastern Partnership program? I believe that we must think globally, and act locally.
We have decided to focus on the following three main issues:

Firstly, the lingering potential of tension and confrontation in our region prevails over the ability to reach mutually acceptable decisions, as demonstrated by the existence of closed borders.
We view the Eastern Partnership program as a powerful stimulus for reforms and mindset- change, in order to build a critical mass of persons dedicated to European values in our countries.
It can foster the creation of a favorable atmosphere for dialogue, partnership, and cooperation in the region.
Through closer ties between our countries and the European Union, the Eastern Partnership program will stimulate regional integration.
In this era of globalization, the role of diversity is increasingly important. Human rights and freedoms, as well as tolerance and respect for differences must be prioritized over unification. Europe is the success story of harmony in diversity.
From the standpoint of the EU, the Eastern Partnership program can help curb uncertainty and make our region more predictable.

Secondly, countries in our region are undermined by the gap between declared objectives and the real capacity for achieving them. It is clear that we are still unable to fill this gap. Wide-scale reform is the only way to address the gap between declared objectives and reality. We view the Eastern Partnership program as an effective tool for stimulating reforms to build a modern society.

Thirdly, people must be able to live and create in a rapidly evolving and shrinking world, in which knowledge is the driving force of progress.
The education system must not only transfer knowledge, but also, intellect and critical thinking skills based on certain values and standards of behavior. Tolerance, respect, a sense of fairness, and responsibility: all of these values must be instilled from an early age in school.

I would now like to expand on the reasons behind our desire to become a member of the EPP family.
As I noted earlier, a serious problem affecting the Eastern Partners is the gap between declared values and actions in practice. What is the cause of this gap? Objectives are declared with a view to the future, while behavior is a factor of historical experience. Our mindset, molded by history and past experiences, at times obstructs our path to achieving our objectives.

Everyone here knows that reforms cannot be implemented without faith and confidence. Political will is also indispensable.
A political party, as a group of individuals united around common values, is best capable of demonstrating political will and leading the process of change. By advocating values, competing for votes, and garnering public support, a party is able to implement its program.
Universal values, such as freedom, responsibility, equality, justice, and solidarity, comprise the ideological foundation of the Republican Party of Armenia.
Accession to the EPP community, which has vast experience in successfully developing and carrying out political programs, will help the comparatively younger Republican Party of Armenia:
- share the party building experience;
- facilitate the dissemination of European values; - and promote integration projects and initiatives.

Finally, the EPP can provide guidance in our efforts to demonstrate political will and build effective statehood.
Our political affiliation can serve the European community as a powerful instrument for accelerating the integration process.

The time has come for the old mentality to give way to the new mindset.

Thank you.
 

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