On September 29, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan participated in a high-level discussion titled "From Lisbon to Yerevan: Envisioning Europe’s Strategy for the Wider Neighborhood" within the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum.
Other speakers of the panel included Kęstutis Budrys, Foreign Minister of Lithuania, and Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe Affairs of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry reports.
Below are Minister Mirzoyan's responses to the questions raised.
Zbigniew Pisarski: So I said, that to your right is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and a good friend. He is a very experienced Minister. Ararat, I would say that you have a big accomplishment on your duty, what we’ve seen recently in August in White House - peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. I think this is something that wouldn’t happen without skillful diplomacy in Armenia. So, pleasure to have Ararat with us.
Mr. Mirzoyan, you know that I'm an enthusiast of Armenia and a strong supporter. After listening to your predecessors, what do you expect from Europe, from the European Union in this area? And what is maybe your experience dealing with the European Union in this area?
Ararat Mirzoyan: Well, first of all, thank you very much for your introductory remarks. I don't think I deserve those words, but you were probably too kind.
Zbigniew Pisarski: True diplomat, very modest.
Ararat Mirzoyan: I'm not a diplomat, by the way. I don't have any diplomatic background.
I'm sorry to say this, dear colleagues, I think there is a certain confusion here. Well, first of all, are we speaking about Europe or the European Union? These are different things. When you speak about the European Union, we can be a potential member, the next one. If you speak about Europe, then Lithuania’s minister is absolutely right: we are in Europe equally as you.
We also spoke a little bit about New Europe and Old Europe. We spoke about values versus interests. I here should disagree with you, dear friend. I think interests are values. I mean, values should be the interests, because if you allow yourself to align your policies with interests you think that are beneficial for you, then you make a compromise, a backstep from your values one day, the second day, third day, and then you see yourself in a situation where maybe your real policies are far from values. Yes, the EU for me, from a side, is primarily about democracy and human rights.
If you make compromises, if you close your eyes on situations regarding human rights in one country and then the other one, then at last the EU will become less interesting, less attractive for me personally. And in this sense as well, Armenia is even EU, in this sense of democracy. We are already a democracy, yes, an unexperienced democracy, but we are already an acknowledged democracy, and of course we will be continuing our democratic reforms. So this dilemma of interests versus values is a trap, I think. It's an artificial positioning of the question.
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Zbigniew Pisarski: Mr. Mirzoyan, let me just give you a hint of what I had in mind. Sorry, maybe I was not precise. You know, I was making reference to the American foreign policy these days, to the speech of J.D. Vance in Munich at the Munich Security Conference, when he said that Europe is a source of problems for Europe. And when the US government decided to dissolve USAID and abandon soft power of the US, it was, in my opinion, a bit betraying the values that the US was built on and focusing on transactionism and just interests. But in this transactional policy, the risk is that someone could make a better offer. And then you are on the menu...
Ararat Mirzoyan: This is exactly what I'm talking about.
Zbigniew Pisarski: And for smaller countries, it's pretty risky to be in this very transactional relation. But, sorry, it was just an explanation.
Ararat Mirzoyan: I am sorry if I got additional confusion here. But yes, you're right. Lots of things are going around Europe's strategic neighborhood. And yes, we can start from the United States. We see that the strongest ally and partner and friend of the EU and the EU member states, now can have, on very critical issues, slightly or fundamentally different opinions.
So this makes, I think, and again, this is a sight from aside, this makes the EU rethink many things. For instance, I mean, increase the sovereignty, and build some institutions, which can give additional confidence to the EU as a union.
If you look to the east, Europe sees itself at high risk when it comes to the war in Ukraine. I saw the news recently about the violation of airspace. So many things are going around the EU and Europe, and there are very important things to rethink at least, reassess.
But I don't want to focus only on the negative things. There are also positive processes happening in the world. And here I would like to focus on the South Caucasus, on Armenia. We just established peace with Azerbaijan. It was declared in Washington. The declaration of peace was signed between my Prime Minister and the President of Azerbaijan. The declaration was also witnessed and signed by President Trump.
In parallel, we, the ministers, initiated the Peace Agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We agreed upon acknowledging, recognizing each other's territorial integrity, the borders. We agreed upon general principles in the frames of which the transport infrastructure should be unblocked between the two countries. So I'm saying this to show that this Declaration and establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not merely mean stability or elimination of a gray zone in a close neighborhood of the EU, it also provides some new economic, trade opportunities.
Imagine when the railway connection is re-established between Armenia and Azerbaijan: this will have significance, not only to that part of the world, but to a much larger region, including the EU. But again, it's not the limit. Establishment of peace in South Caucasus allows South Caucasian countries to strengthen their sovereignties, to decrease their dependence from other major capitals and gives us the opportunity to have, for instance, specific foreign policies, I would be very specific: in Armenia, we could adopt in the National Assembly a law making EU accession a mandatory policy of the government of the Republic of Armenia. So from our side, there is a political will, there is a decision, fixed, constituted in a law, and now the EU colleagues should decide.
Zbigniew Pisarski: Thank you. Thank you very much for the Caucasian perspective.
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Benjamin Haddad: We support the Peace Agreement that was signed with the US administration. And I think it's a testament, actually, to the courage of the Armenian government that's been into a very difficult situation over the last few years and has continued to engage courageously in diplomacy and looking for peace, and also continue to engage in reforms, and support for democracy, the fight against corruption. The Pashinyan government really is to be praised on this. And we speak to the Armenian government on a regular basis, President Macron with Prime Minister Pashinyan, and we will be there to support the implementation of this Peace Agreement.
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Zbigniew Pisarski: I want to make a reference to Georgia, which was a huge hope from Europe, about the future of Georgia, Europization of Georgia. I remember President Saakashvili being here at the Warsaw Security Forum receiving the Knight of Freedom Award. And what lessons can Armenia have from the story of Georgia, what can we do to help you to avoid mistakes that Georgia did or we did, what mistakes we did, that Georgia is in the situation which it is? What can we do to help you to secure the future of democratic Armenia and Euro-Atlantic Armenia?
Ararat Mirzoyan: Well, the fact is that no one cancelled Georgia's status of candidate, neither Georgians nor EU. So the fact is that Georgia is an EU candidate. The rest is a matter of interpretation, ongoing political processes that can change one day, but strategically the status is there.
So a lesson for Armenia. I would largely agree with my dear colleague from Lithuania: we should not lose momentum. Sometimes, and here again, soft criticism: we should not allow bureaucracy to take over the political decisions.
Politics is the area, the way where we should, our nations, our country should make decisions. Politically, the EU should decide. You know, we will be continuing our reforms, we will be strengthening our democratic institutions, we will be raising the standards for our goods to make the integration possible. At the end of the day, the decision should be political. If you, as the EU, let us in, then all of us, we will benefit. If you say “no” to us, then we will still have reformed political institutions, we will benefit from it as well.
So yes, we should be bolder, more political, less bureaucratic.
But there is a nuance that I would like to reflect, if I may. So the mediation or facilitation of the peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it's not a matter of competition.
I mean, there was a long process, the negotiations took several years. Political leaders have been involved. President Macron organized a meeting on the margins of the European political community in Prague. It was several years ago, on the 6th of October, and this was the meeting where a very fundamental agreement was reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Agreement about acknowledgement of territorial integrity of each other on the basis of 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, which in its turn means that the borders between Soviet Armenia and Soviet Azerbaijan now are re-recognized, re-acknowledged as borders between current Armenia and current Azerbaijan. This was the fundamental milestone, accomplishment.
Zbigniew Pisarski: Is it the next European Political Community taking place in Armenia?
Ararat Mirzoyan: Yes, and I'm saying this to also show that this European Political Community summit is a very important mechanism, very important platform, and we're proud to say that the next one will take place in Armenia on 4th of May 2026. So we will be waiting for all of you there.
Zbigniew Pisarski: So thank you very much to all of you, and I truly believe that we should continue this discussion in Yerevan during the European Political Community or Yerevan dialogue that we have as “Pulaski Foundation” pleasure to be a partner. So we invite all of you to visit Yerevan, and I think it would be the gesture and proof in action that we are open for our neighbors, and we support them particularly when they take brave steps toward the Euro-Atlantic community to share the same values.
And I think this is the role that we have not to leave them alone in this effort, because it's a difficult path, complicated, and they need our political and all the other ways of support. So thank you very much, and I hope that you will join me in applauding our great panelists.
