While the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is pending ratification by all the EU member states, the EU is reportedly planning to create a council of high-ranking advisors adjunct to the Armenian Government.
“The EU, in all likelihood, is worried that the Armenian authorities will experience a fiasco over enacting CEPA in a timely manner,” a source close to the Government told a correspondent of Hraparak, citing “lack of competence” as a major concern.
Commenting on the report, the paper says that the authorities may be intentionally slowing down the process amid fears over the possible reaction by the Kremlin. “I do not rule out that possibility; that too, is absolutely real. I think that the government will eventually give its final consent to allow the council’s operation,” the source was quoted as saying.
The paper notes that the cabinet led by Tigran Sargsyan, Armenia’s prime minister from 2008 to 2014, also had a similar council - composed of experts who worked on the Association Agreement with the EU. The paper also notes that the specialists involved in the high-level body left the country immediately after the deal saw a total failure in 2013.