Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenia being a small country shouldn’t be reason to develop an (inferiority) complex. The large size of a country doesn’t mean that its leader is smarter or more effective than other leaders, said former Armenian president Robert Kocharian in an interview with local news agency Mediamax.
“Yes, certainly, they are more powerful due to the country’s political weight. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are your superiors if, of course, you don’t perceive them as such. The most important thing is to to be able to build true, honest, partnership relations, to clearly outline your country’s interests and have convincing arguments if you disagree with something. For example, I have very warm recollections of my meetings with Vladimir Putin, Jacques Chirac and Bill Clinton. None of them have ever tried to emphasize his superiority,” said Kocharian.
The country’s second president also weighed in on globalization, saying this process sets certain economic policy standards and ignoring them can simply be devastating for the country’s economy. “We have to grasp emerging trends and not catch up with them. Armenia simply must and can develop faster than world indicators.”
Furthermore, Kocharian asserted that Armenia has a serious potential to become the most effective country in the South Caucasus. “As for how this potential will be used, time will tell.”
On the model of the European Union, Kocharian noted that this model is effective only in Europe: “It has a pronounced European character, and no such a level of integration is expected anywhere else in the foreseeable future.”
“No one is preparing to renounce national states in the EU — isn’t it a union of states after all? I believe that independent states will continue to be the main subject of international law for a long time,” he said.