Armenia does not need Georgia for its EU integration, but it needs  Georgia development of logistics - expert 

ArmInfo.Armenia doesn't need Georgia for its EU integration process, but it very much does for the development of logistics. This is how Georgian political scientist Gela Vasadze commented on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's appeal to the European Parliament to support Georgia in its European  choice.

The political scientist noted that Georgia's entire expert community  is enthusiastically discussing Pashinyan's March 11 appeal to the  European Parliament, noting that the discussions are taking two  directions: first, Pashinyan needs it because without Georgia,  Armenia cannot become part of the EU; second, Pashinyan has become a  lobbyist for the Georgian Dream, betraying the ideals of democracy.

Let's get to the bottom of this.

"First of all, we're not talking about Armenia becoming part of the  EU at all. We're talking about a format of relations with the EU that  would provide the country with significant financial and political  benefits.  Does Pashinyan need Georgia for this? No, he doesn't. But  for Armenia, like Georgia, to gain full EU membership, in addition to  a thousand other factors, Turkey's membership is essential. It's  geography.  Although, theoretically, Europe could make an exception  for Armenians, with their 'historical victim' image. A pro-Western  Armenia is the dream of any politician from the Benelux countries,  and not just the Benelux countries," Vasadze wrote on his Facebook  page. "We're making it clear: Armenia doesn't need Georgia for its  integration with the EU. But it does need it for logistics  development, very much so.  Especially in the context of the  north-south corridor, given the very real prospect of opening a rail  link with Iran via Nakhichevan. Georgian ports, under sanctions,  significantly undermine Armenia's role in the South Caucasus  logistics hub. Surely some people are wondering: what is he talking  about? What Iran, what's going on here? Well, what's going on will  end sooner or later," he continued.

The expert added that the Trump Route for International Peace and  Prosperity (TRIPP) project and the opening of communications with  Azerbaijan and Turkey are also not a matter of weeks. He also noted  that sanctions against Georgian ports, if imposed, could last for  years. Vasadze is confident that this is one of the reasons for  Pashinyan's appeal.

"Now about the 'betrayal of democracy.' That's a completely bizarre  claim. Pashinyan has never been and never will be a democrat in the  liberal European sense. He is building a rather harsh authoritarian  regime in Armenia-as harsh as possible. And not at all because it's  bad, but because otherwise, full-fledged nation- states cannot be  created. Pashinyan's authoritarianism is a modernizing type of  authoritarianism, unlike the model that dominated Armenia before him,  which simply preserved the Soviet legacy," the Georgian expert  asserted.

The political scientist is confident that by defending the Georgian  Dream, Pashinyan is not at all going against his principles. "The  fact that our authoritarian model is far from modernizing is our  problem.  Ultimately, the Armenian Prime Minister should be thinking  about his own country, not about Georgia's development. Having a  trusting relationship with the Georgian authorities is an additional  bonus that can always be exploited both in domestic Caucasus politics  and internationally," Vasadze believes.

The Georgian political scientist expressed his conviction that  Pashinyan is not saving Georgian Dream or betraying democracy.  Vasadze is confident that the Armenian Prime Minister is simply  acting as a "rational politician" trying to solve his country's  problems-and simultaneously earn a few extra points in Brussels and  the South Caucasus.