The decisive factor for the European Union is the policy pursued by authorities: political scientist

For the European Union, the policy pursued by authorities and their foreign policy course are of primary importance, while matters of democracy, the domestic political situation, and economic standards are secondary. This was stated by Andranik Hovhannisyan, a political scientist, in a conversation with Alpha News.

According to him, Georgia has been striving to become an EU member for many years, but in recent years relations between the EU and Tbilisi have grown significantly strained.

“This situation shows that it is not Georgia that is leaving Europe, but the EU that is distancing Georgia from the European integration process. The EU’s priority is not the country or its people, but the authorities of a given country. If the authorities pursue policies that align with EU interests, relations with that state deepen and a membership perspective takes shape,” the political scientist stressed.

At the same time, according to Hovhannisyan, even if a country meets democratic criteria and European standards, but its authorities pursue a different policy, the EU will not support that country’s membership process.

“Armenia’s current authorities are pursuing a policy that is acceptable to the European Union, as a result of which Brussels is interested in deepening relations with Yerevan. Believe me, on the day a change of power occurs in Armenia, Europe will no longer speak about Armenia at the level we see today. Those relations will be of an entirely different nature,” Hovhannisyan noted.