Armenia has no alternative to European integration, Vartan Oskanian, the former foreign minister of Armenia, stated at a discussion “European prospects: confidence or illusion” organized by the Civilitas Foundation.

According to him, it is not EU membership, but benefiting from the integration process, that Armenia should aim at. He also pointed out that the process will fail without coordinated actions of Europe, the Armenian society and authorities. Oskanian pointed out that the Armenian authorities often realize the need for adopting certain European values to “neutralize” the threat to their power. Oskanian said that European standards are not successfully applied in Armenia, which is the result of Soviet past. “Recognizing European values does not at all mean a couple of trips to Brussels or other cities,” he said.