Heritage Party issues statement over Armenia’s entry into CU

Heritage Party condemns Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement of September 3, 2013, and deeply regrets that the Association Agreement, over which Armenia and the EU had negotiated for 2.5 years, was not initialed at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, Heritage Party said in a statement.

“Heritage Party considers as unsatisfactory the joint statement that Armenia and the European Union adopted at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius. The party welcomes the final declaration of the Vilnius summit and that document’s provisions stipulating the establishment of closer ties between Armenia and the EU,“ Heritage Party noted.

As for Russian President’s Vladimir Putin’s visit to Armenia, Heritage said that the Russian leader’s assurances about maintenance of peace in the South Caucasus do not seem convincing in view of the fact that Russia, citing its economic interests, sold large shipments of arms to Azerbaijan that challenges regional stability.

“We consider as negative the documents signed by the country’s authorities during the Russian president’s visit – from the transfer of 20% of ArmRosGazprom’s shares to the memorandum on cooperation in the sphere of general education. We condemn the deception the authorities resorted to for the sake of the elections held in 2012 and 2013, intentionally concealing the increased gas tariff and contracting debts. We welcome Iran’s readiness to supply natural gas to Armenia and we demand that the de facto authorities of Armenia start negotiations in that direction,” the statement of Heritage Party reads.

The party also expresses support and solidarity with ‘the struggle of the Ukrainian people and participants of multi-million rallies’. Heritage believes that amid the global confrontation between the EU and Russia, the unification and consistent struggle of Armenia’s citizens, political forces and civil society should keep Armenia from joining the Customs Union.