If communications open, EU will be ready to invest infrastructure – Polish pundit

If the communications in the region open, the European Union will be ready to invest in the repair and construction of infrastructure, the EU is ready to help the parties in this matter, Polish analyst Konrad Zasztowt said when talking to Factor.am when asked to comment on the European Union’s participation in regional programs.

He said it is already very good that the European Union supports Armenia and Azerbaijan in the process of demarcation and delimitation․ According to the expert, this will help establish more peaceful relations between the countries, which is a necessary precondition for economic progress.

“It will allow Armenia to develop its economic relations with both the European Union and Azerbaijan,” he said. Zasztowt said there is a lot of talk now about opening roads, if it becomes a reality, it can play a positive role for the development of the region.

“I understand that there are mixed feelings in Armenia in this regard, which is connected with the so-called ՛corridor՛. I think it is because there is no honest dialogue yet. It is clear that it is difficult to have a dialogue on such topics just a year after the war, but it is an opportunity,” he said.

When asked whether the West will not try to counterbalance the growing role of Russia and Turkey in the region, Zasztowt said that one must first understand that the West is composed of different countries, each of which can have its own interests in the region. “It is not that the whole West is against increasing the influence of Russia or Turkey here. Of course, we understand that, for example, increasing Russia’s influence means weakening the countries there,” he said.

He said the growing influence of Turkey in the region may not bother the West much, as it is always thought that Ankara is a bridge between the European Union and the Caucasus. “It’s so geographically,” he added.

To the question that taking into account the Pashinyan-Aliyev meetings in Sochi, Brussels, which were organized in one case by Russian President Vladimir Putin and in the other by EU Council President Charles Michel, what can we say about the Armenian Prime Minister’s foreign policy, Zasztowt said that one should not expect a choice of a new political course from him, as the geographical location of Armenia does not allow for a big choice.

“Of course, Armenia should try to have good relations with many countries, superpowers, small countries, but on the other hand, it would be good to improve relations with the European Union, which may not be able to help much in security issues, but will be useful in other issues,” he said.

Speaking about the Eastern Partnership summit held in Brussels last week, Zasztowt expressed an opinion that in recent years they felt that the EU Eastern Partnership initiative was in crisis.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm before the signing of the Association Agreement by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, and of course, pessimism arose when the then President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan withdrew from signing the Association Agreement with the European Union. At this summit, we saw that the three countries became Eastern Partnership countries, which ensure the progress of the initiative, and they are already given the opportunity to become a member of the European Union,” he said. In the case of Armenia, according to him, the situation is different due to security issues.

“Last year was the Karabakh war, of course, Armenia was in a worse situation. Before the war, Russia’s influence on Armenia was very strong, after that it became stronger. And it would be wrong to expect big steps from the European Union here. Of course, small steps are being taken now, which can be considered very positive, which may become something big in the future,” he concluded.