Our Security is Non-Negotiable: Mikhail Minasian's Article

In the Vatican, Portugal, and Malta, former Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia Mikhail Minasian has published an article titled “Armenia: The Greater Demand for Access to Europe” in The Huffington Post.

The article is presented in full below.

“28 years after the legendary film 'Citizen Kane' about American identity and self-discovery, a film was released in Soviet Armenia that was a miraculous adaptation of the unbanned novel by young writer Hrant Matevosyan, which has now become a classic for anyone who speaks Armenian. The film tells the story of life in Soviet Armenia and the enclosed world that has its unwritten rules. It is aptly titled: 'We Are, Our Mountains' (1969). During the same period in the 1960s, as the world faced waves of technological, civilizational, and political revolutions, two shepherds in the Armenian mountains discuss how many important countries exist in the world. They conclude: ‘We, America, and probably Austria.’

Aside from being a classic of Armenian cinema, 'We Are, Our Mountains' also encapsulates the greatest fears of a new generation of Armenians: not to become enclosed in our mountains, not to limit our knowledge, and to have some idea of the world unlike our ancestors. The new generation of Armenians wants to keep pace with the times and be part of the contemporary world. And this new era, starting from Greenwich, is born in Europe. Therefore, the natural aspiration of Armenia and Armenians towards Europe is a rational, logical, and healthy choice.

For us, Europe symbolizes our aspirations and the window to our opportunities. This window opened after the collapse of the USSR and has reached a ratification stage with the CEPA agreement, reflecting our shared desires and ambitions present in the document in the form of programs.

Armenia has three primary challenges: security, prosperity, and demography. The agenda for our relations with the EU directly intersects with our priorities. Continuous reforms in domestic life and strengthening democratic institutions are prerequisites for creating and reinforcing more effective guarantees of our internal security.

Ensuring a competitive economic environment in Armenia, and the more accessible EU market for local producers present a developmental window, while promoting trade serves as a source of prosperity for our citizens.

Despite the zigzag of heating and freezing political relations with the European Union, the expectations of Armenian citizens are much more stable, which can be succinctly termed as ‘greater accessibility.’ Greater accessibility is when participation in European educational exchange programs becomes significantly easier for students from our country, when our citizens can obtain visas to EU member states in a much simpler manner or not need them at all.

Greater accessibility means having affordable low-cost flights from our two cities to Europe during the day. It means many more Armenian tourists being able to visit, know, meet, and discover Europe, to see it with their own eyes and touch it with their own hands. From an entrepreneur wanting to sell products in the European purchasing market to a scientist wishing to conduct joint research in biochemistry with their European partners. Again, very simple, very logical. And this is possible.

According to the demand of its citizens, Armenia’s collective expectations are also very specific. We are, of course, developing our trade-economic relations with the EU, taking advantage of the GSP+ trade system. However, on the road to the idea of ‘a closer Europe,’ we can expect the inevitable interest of European giant corporations in establishing production cycles in Armenia, starting from, for instance, Italian Fiat, German Siemens to French industrial giants and so on. On the path of ‘a closer Europe,’ we can also anticipate the direct and critical role of the EU in constructing the high-speed road from Yerevan to Tbilisi that will make Armenia and Georgia one unified tourist area for Europe, sharply increasing visitor numbers. Again, very simple, very logical. And this is possible.

However, from time to time, an impression is created that Armenia-EU relations have wandered into the corridors of some official institutions. Moreover, sometimes these relationships lead to such narrow and extreme interpretations and content that ultimately distort the understanding of the European civilization and the whole concept of European values, causing confusion among broad sections of society.

The recent results of the European Parliament elections show that the political preferences of the public in member states differ significantly, and therefore daily work with all political entities becomes even more demanded. A persistent and targeted effort at both the level of all structures of the union and in bilateral formats with each of the countries becomes a marked imperative for effective cooperation with the EU.

The Armenia-EU cooperation should translate our common values into concrete results directed at meeting the everyday demands of citizens. This is the formula dictated by time: values must be transformed into tangible, visible, and appreciated outcomes and opportunities for people.

On the other hand, Europe is not just a donor, nor a one-sided final destination. Armenia can also be attractive to Europe, not only due to its Christian identity or the growing number of European tourists. It is also about our manufactured products, our creative human resources, and innovative thinking.

In this sense, prolonged political dialogue needs to transition from words and documents to decisions and results. Otherwise, the European window becomes a European dream—distant and unattainable. We must not allow Armenia’s European agenda to be jeopardized, as it is neither false, political wordplay, nor opportunism. It is an honest and healthy impulse. Therefore, a more accessible Europe is our conscious choice that can be mutually beneficial. And it is possible.

The unifying factors between Armenia and Europe are primarily our common values. Armenia, Artsakh, and the entire Armenian people have been and remain an inseparable part of European civilization. Also, the eastern border of the Christian world.

Our path is civilizational, encompassing both the north and the west. When we speak of the European value system, we primarily perceive both the west and the north. And historically, it has been so. Many elements of the European value system have been reaffirmed in Armenia specifically through northern channels, and this is an indisputable truth. It is very important for us that the conventional dividing lines existing between the west and the north are eliminated as quickly as possible or at least minimized.

Today, we are not looking for a new role in Europe and European life; rather, we need to reevaluate our role as one of the stable pillars of European civilization and value system. For both us and our partners, it should be unequivocal: our security is non-negotiable, and our values have always been and remain an inseparable part of our ongoing journey.”