YEREVAN. – EU ambassador does not need public statements to send messages to the Armenian authorities, Piotr Switalski himself told reporters in Yerevan on Tuesday.
Commenting on the recent remarks made by justice minister Davit Harutyunyan and deputy speaker of the parliament Eduard Sharmaznov not to interfere with the domestic affairs of Armenia, Switalski first of all thanked the Armenians who supported the EU mission. There are many people in Armenia who believe the EU is doing a good job in the country and they have sent a lot of messages expressing their support.
His statement came after several remarks from the authorities calling EU ambassador not to interfere with Armenia’s election processes after the diplomat said the April 2 parliamentary elections were not perfect and called to make Central Electoral Commission more reliable. He added that the authorities are trying to subordinate the Electoral Code to themselves.
Of course, the EU also accepts that there are people who do not want and do not understand “what we want to do in Armenia.”
“Secondly, I did not come here to participate in public discussions, it's not my job. But, of course, getting involved in the discussion on important issues is a positive development. We will always positively take this debate. But you need to follow certain rules: before you attack the interlocutor, you need to check the source, watch the video and think. Respect your interlocutor, the role that different people play,” the EU ambassador said.
The diplomat said he will not send messages to the Armenian authorities through public statements, as they have very good working relations and ways of communicating with the government.
“I can at any time engage in a constructive dialogue with the authorities. I do not need public statements for the messages to the authorities. Public statements are for the society, they concern what we are doing in Armenia as the European Union,” he explained, adding that none of the opinions he expressed were a secret for his interlocutors and representatives of the country's leadership.
