Nikol Pashinyan: It is crucial to continue reform policy so that we  truly meet all EU standards

ArmInfo.Armenia highly values the activities of the Armenia-EU civil society platform, particularly in the context of the ruling political party's ideology and perception of democracy. This was stated by RA Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan on April 15 at the opening ceremony of the 8th meeting of the platform.

According to him, in the current situation, it is difficult to  underestimate the role of civil society in the lives of the Armenian  people. At the same time, Pashinyan emphasized that today it is  crucial to create mechanisms that would elevate the interaction  between the government, civil society, and state and local  authorities to a new, institutional level. This will allow for more  coordinated and, consequently, more effective work.

The Prime Minister noted that despite achieving high economic and  democratic development indicators since the velvet, non-violent  revolution of 2018, the country still faces serious challenges, the  solution of which is a priority for the authorities. In searching for  solutions to these problems, it becomes clear that the country is  confronted with seemingly invisible issues.

In particular, this involves clarifying key concepts. "Since the 2018  revolution, we have failed to achieve success in the justice sector  that could be assessed as 'good' or 'satisfactory.' And there's truth  to this: when we try to understand the situation, we are faced with  the question of what exactly constitutes justice and the judiciary?  Discussions have revealed that there is no unified approach on this  issue. Disagreements arise even between representatives of different  professional groups. For example, legal scholars consider justice one  way, politicians another, and business entities and citizens present  their own arguments. In general, when justice is administered, we are  dealing with two parties, one of which wins, the other loses. This  raises the question of how to ensure that both parties consider the  process fair," the head of the Armenian government said.

Pashinyan added that, analyzing these two circumstances, he concluded  that an organic connection between processes and institutions, the  authorities, and their connection with the people is essential. In  the current situation, Nikol Pashinyan continued, no one will have a  sense of justice and fairness until this organic connection exists.  This is the most important problem that must be addressed in the  future with the adoption of a new Constitution of the Republic of  Armenia.

The Prime Minister emphasized that currently, justice, fairness, and  the judiciary are guided by institutions that are isolated, insular,  lack an organic connection with the people, and, accordingly, lack  the necessary level of accountability and responsibility. Meanwhile,  the people are the ultimate authority in the formation of power. In  this context, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the need for criteria for  assessing justice and fairness that must be consistent with the  Constitution and laws of the country. "But what do you do when the  Constitution itself is not organically linked to the main source of  power? In that case, no matter what you do, there will be no justice  or fairness, because the country's Basic Law must be a manifestation  of the free will of the people, which is not the case today and has  never been the case before. It is crucial for us to have mechanisms  that meet European standards to correct any potential errors," the  head of state emphasized.

He added that the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement  between Armenia and the EU is a working agenda for the Armenian side,  which has been expanded thanks to the expanded and unprecedented  development of relations between Yerevan and Brussels in recent  years. "We will confidently continue our path to the EU. We have  already adopted a law on the start of the EU accession process, but  this does not mean using blackmail against our European partners with  demands for EU membership. Absolutely not. At this stage, it is  crucial for us to continue our reform policy in a way that truly  meets all European standards. Once we achieve this, the question of  whether or not to be in the EU will be a matter of political  decision," the RA Prime Minister concluded.