The Other Side May Try to Harm Armenia: Kaya Kalas

Of course, that decision belongs to the people of Armenia. However, if we look at the broader picture and examine the map of Europe, we will see that it is beneficial for everyone if we cooperate with each other. This was stated by Kaya Kalas, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in an interview with Public Television when asked whether Armenia is expected to be part of the European Union.

“It is true that we have been quite slow in some accession processes; candidate countries have waited for an excessively long time, and we are trying to speed up these processes because we want to give these countries the opportunity to access our internal economic markets. Armenia is our immediate neighbor, and it is in our interest for our neighborhood to develop, Armenia to progress, and for there to be economic growth and a prosperous life for people. That is why we are trying to work as closely as possible with Armenia. We are ready to explore new opportunities to see what else we can do,” she said.

In response to the question about Armenia's significant dependence on Russia and the risks of moving towards Europe, the senior European diplomat remarked, “The fact that the Russians are making threats is nothing new. We have seen this in other parts of the world as well. I think it should be clear what the Armenian people want to do. Dependency on countries that may not be so friendly is complicated. This is also why economic diversification is necessary. We aim to increase Armenia's opportunities so that it does not have to be fully dependent on Russia. If that’s what you want, the choice is yours. But we have seen how economic dependence can also be used against those countries. That is why it is essential to establish connections with friendly countries, because the other side may try to harm you.”