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ArmenGrigoryan
frameworkbutwasalsoratherapologeticregardingRussia’spoliciesvisà
viscountriesinvolvedintheEU’sEasternPartnershipframework.Yetthe
statementcontradicteditselftoacertainextent,andinfactadmittedthat
Russiacouldeasilyturnfromanallyintoathreat,mentioning,forinstance,
that“torejectEEUmembershipwouldmeantobeinfavourofturning
ArmeniaintoUkraine—andthatwouldbeanightmare.”7
EEUmembershipwasopposedonlybytheHeritageParty’sfaction
(includingtwoMPswhohadbeenelectedontheHeritage’slist,representing
theArmenianNationalMovementandtheFreeDemocratsParty),one
MPelectedontheANC’slistbutdefactoindependentbecauseofhis
disagreementwithANC’sstrategy,particularlyoncooperationwiththe
PAP
,andonetrueindependent.Inadditiontothesesmallparties,principled
supportersofcooperationwiththeEU(includingtheAssociationAgreement)
andopponentsofEEUmembershiphavemostlybeencivilactivistsaswell
asexpertsfromthinktanksandnon-governmentalorganisations.Generally
speaking,theyhavelackedfinancialresourcesandhavehadrelatively
littlemediaaccess.Takingintoaccountsuchattitudesoftheparliamentary
opposition,itisnotsurprisingthat,on4December2014,onlysevenMPs
outof131votedagainstratificationofthetreatyonEEUmembership,and
oneabstained.
InFebruary2015,adramaticchangeoccurredintheinternalpolitical
situation,asSargsyanmanagedtobreakupthecooperationbetweenthePAP
andtheANC,toputanendtoTsarukyan’spoliticalambitionsanddeprive
theparliamentaryoppositionofmostofitsfinancialresources.AtthePAP
assemblyon5February,Tsarukyanforthefirsttimemadeapublicstatement
thatthePAP
,theANCandtheHeritagePartywouldjointlydemand
extraordinarypresidentialandparliamentaryelections.Twodayslater,the
PAPaccusedtherulingRPAoforganisingabrutalbeatingofaPAPactivist
andthreatenedaparliamentaryboycott.Inresponse,Sargsyanlaunched
anadhominemattackagainstTsarukyanduringatelevisedmeetingwith
theRPAparliamentaryfaction,governmentmembersandpartyofficialson
12February,issuingadecreedismissingTsarukyanfromtheNationalSecurity
Councilandinstructingthetaxserviceandthepolicetostartinspectionsof
7
A.Musinyan,“EEU:TheImperativeofMakingtheRightChoice,”2December2014,
www.ilur.am.
10
ThePolishQuarterlyofInternationalAffairs,2015,no.4