Page 49 - bne IntelliNews magazine February 2025

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escalation over Nagorno-Karabakh and in Armenia's southern regions.
Despite the country's political will to join the EU, Armenia's EU aspirations face significant challenges.
Russia, a key economic and security partner, has opposed the bid, warning that it conflicts with Armenia's membership of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that Yerevan must choose between deeper ties with the EU or its current alliances with Russia. Armenia's economic dependence on Moscow further complicates matters,
as Russia remains its main supplier of natural gas and nuclear fuel, as well as a major trading partner.
The EU has welcomed Armenia's interest in closer ties, but has reacted cautiously to the membership bid.
Officials have recognised Armenia's progress under the Comprehensive
and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, which focuses on political and economic reforms, as a strong basis for further integration. However, membership negotiations are a lengthy process that requires alignment with EU laws and the unanimous consent of all member states.
Some EU states, wary of antagonising Russia, may be reluctant to speed up Armenia's application, while others
see an opportunity to extend EU influence in a region traditionally dominated by Moscow. In addition to Armenia's domestic challenges, recent developments in neighbouring Georgia are also likely to influence Armenia's EU path. Georgia's accession to the EU is seen as Armenia's gateway to Europe, both politically and economically. However, in November the ruling Georgian Dream party decided to put the country’s EU accession efforts on hold, sparking a wave of protests.
Georgian Dream lashes out at “Global War Party” and “deep state” networks
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Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) has released a statement denouncing recent “anti-Georgian resolutions” by certain Western countries, which the ruling party claim are members of “deep state” networks acting on the instruction of
a so-called “Global War Party” (GWP).
The statement comes at a time of profound political polarisation in the Caucasus country. GD is accused by anti-government protesters in Tbilisi of stealing power in the latest elections and orchestrating the country’s authoritarian tilt away from Europe and towards Moscow.
The GD Political Council’s extensive January 8 statement doubles down on old GD conspiracy theories whilst also throwing up some alarming new ones.
In the document, the GD Political Council lays down some of the
wildest anti-Western propaganda and accusations ever before seen from a party that started out twelve years ago as firmly pro Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration,
but has now done a complete about turn and can’t criticise the West enough.
Meanwhile, pro-EU demonstrators continue to march in Tbilisi daily demanding new elections and the exit of a contested government they say
has stolen their country’s EU future, calling on Georgia’s Western partners to increase the pressure on GD officials.
“Global War Party”
For several years GD has accused a “Global War Party” of seeking to provoke conflicts around the world, including in Georgia, by opening a “second front” of the Ukraine war in the Black Sea nation and dragging it into war with Russia.
In its pre-election campaign in the autumn of 2024, GD pledged to maintain “peace” in Georgia if elected, while insisting that victory for the pro-EU opposition, which GD claims is an agent of the West, could mean only “war”.
“‘Either you fight, or I will punish you’ – this is the simple message that Georgia and Georgians receive from the GWP,”
the ruling party declared in its January 8 statement, reiterating its suspicion of the West’s intentions in the country of 3.8mn people.
Yet according to the Political Council, the Georgian people are “uncompromising”, and would “not allow the collective national movement [a GD term for the pro-western opposition], or the agency of the GWP to return to power and draw Georgia into war again”.
“The Global War Party is only able to manipulate the opinion of a minority of the public,” the statement read, signalling GD believes the bulk of the Georgian people to be on its side, while a small proportion back the collective movement and “oppose the national interests of their country”.
“Deep state”
The GD Political Council declared so-called “deep state” networks to be
“the main instrument of informal influence” of the “Global War Party” in Western countries. The statement, whilst devoid of a concrete definition of “deep
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