‘I do not want to see a repeat of the Ukrainian scenario in Armenia’ – MEP

Member of the European Parliament from Cyprus, Fidias Panayiotou, told Alpha News that he does not want to see a repeat of the Ukrainian scenario in Armenia.

When asked whether Armenia could realistically become part of the EU, Panayiotou noted that in a country where both Russian and European influence are strong, it is extremely important to act cautiously when considering closer ties with the EU.

It should be noted that during his visit to the Armenian Parliament at the end of October, as part of the Euronest session, the MEP was criticized for remarks suggesting that it might be unwise to interfere in Russia’s sphere of influence in Armenia, as this could harm the country.

“First of all, it’s a tragedy of how the world works. I don’t like how the world works because it seems through history that the big powers do whatever they want, exerting influence. For example, the United States, being powerful, has pushed countries around and started many wars in the past.

So, I think Russia is doing similar things because it is also a big power. So, we need to be careful, to be respectful toward big powers and try to do as much diplomacy and try to avoid conflict because that will bring war. And this is what happened with Ukraine. Russia did not accept that we tried to interfere and that we wanted Ukraine to join NATO. Russia saw this as an existential threat. So, that’s why I think the war started. I don’t want the same to happen in Armenia. There is a lot of influence from Russia in Armenia and there is a lot of European influence as well. So, we need to be careful. If Armenia joins the EU, we must be careful about the terms and conditions and see if Russia is okay with this, to avoid conflict. So, we need to be very careful with these things because we don’t want Armenia to experience what happened in Ukraine or Georgia.

This is what I said, but my colleagues attacked me and called me Putin’s puppet and other things, but it’s okay. I am expressing my opinion. Russia is a big part of European history. That’s why I found it a bit strange that all the members attacked me, but I understand their position. There were a lot of Ukrainian officials, but I think this is good for Ukraine as well. It’s not because Ukraine is losing on the battlefield. This is the reality. I don’t like it, but Ukraine is losing. So, we need to find a way because if we prolong this, we’re going to have more negative terms when we’re going to negotiate. So, we need to negotiate now because Russia is gaining more territory and will have stronger leverage at the table. So, it’s not a popular opinion here in the European Parliament, but I think it’s the reality,” he said.

He also addressed the question of how realistic Armenia’s EU membership prospects are, considering that Ukraine and Georgia are not members, and why his colleagues hold such positions, given that the argument about the geopolitical influence of major powers is widespread in international politics.

“To be honest, we’re a bit hypocritical, because we try to influence Armenia as well. Russia is also trying to influence. So, we are trying to do the same thing. Okay, our ways are a bit different, we try to give some money, give some incentive, but who is up to judge what is the right or wrong way to interfere or influence a country? I think it is possible for Armenia to join but it needs a lot of progress. We need to have good diplomatic ties with Russia for Russia to accept this as well. First of all, Armenia must implement many reforms. I’m not the expert in this type of stuff to explain exactly what the reforms should be. But it should function more or less like the European countries. And it needs a lot of progress because I’ve been to Armenia and I saw that it needs a lot of improvement in its economy and all aspects of life. But I think it’s possible. However, it depends on what the European Union will be when Armenia joins. If the EU becomes more of a military project, then it’s a different scenario because then we need to be a lot more careful because it will be closer to Russia.

So, we need to be careful not to have a situation similar to Ukraine. So, it depends. But if it is an economic project, just join the eurozone and all this stuff, I think it’s easier and I believe it’s possible for Armenia to join the European Union.

Ukraine also wanted to join the European Union and Russia didn’t object. It said that it’s okay, but we need to discuss some things because we have an open market and all this stuff. So, I think it’s possible. I’m optimistic. But I do not expect it to happen soon, to be honest.  We were talking about the timeframe. Actually, I don’t know. It depends on all this stuff that we discuss and the very complex geopolitical situation,” he said.

When asked how useful the European Union could be to Armenia in terms of security, Panayiotou said that he was not sure, since the European is not currently a military organization.

“NATO is a military alliance, and it is NATO that provides real security guarantees. Then it’s like the United States plays a leading role there. So, it’s a very complex conversation about security guarantees. I want to believe that just being in the European Union is a security guarantee by itself because the European Union will not allow anything to happen to one of its members. I don’t think it is possible to have security guarantees now since Armenia is not yet an EU member. Maybe someone can do magic. Maybe a miracle can happen. But I do not see this as a possibility now,” the MEP concluded.