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ArmInfo. On June 12, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan participated in the inaugural session of the “Raisina Mediterranean” conference in Marseille, organized by the partners from India and France.
Minister Mirzoyan and Foreign Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar jointly participated in a panel discussion titled “The Next Special Relationship: Deepening the Strategic Partnership between the Indo- Pacific and Europe.”
The questions directed to Minister Mirzoyan and his responses are presented below.
Question: You know, when I was preparing for this panel, I happened to be in Yerevan, and I heard the Prime Minister speak, and his speech, which he gave in a very Steve Jobs style, with a clicker in his hand and a presentation on the screen, was all about connectivity. And in some sense, Minister Mirzoyan spoke about the importance of connectivity to actually diversify and build resilience, right? So how does Armenia, which has an Asian geography and a European soul, I don’t know how best to describe it, but maybe this could be a good description, how does Armenia see this new moment, where there is a thirst for connectivity, thirst for diversification, and a role for the countries?
Ararat Mirzoyan: Well, thank you for the question.
First of all, my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the plane crash in India, and thank you for the invitation.
The first thing that I would like to constitute is that Armenia is very much pleased to see that France and India have already become strategic partners, and Europe and the Indo-Pacific very much have mutual interest, a big interest to deepen their ties. And this sense of satisfaction has, of course, its reasons.
The first obvious thing: we do have strategic relations with France, and we are deepening our relations with the European Union, and we do have strategic relations with India. We are, again, deepening our relations very much. And the second obvious reason: when you have a look at the map, you will see Europe, you will see India, and there are some countries in between. So Armenia is in between. If you want to connect France and India, and my regards to the previous speaker and representative of the company, sҐis one of the routes. Unfortunately, that’s not always swift, these days not always probably safe as well. And also, there are terrestrial routes. And here, Armenia has a very crucial place: Armenia is situated in the South Caucasus, which is in between Europe and India. We are promoting connectivity projects. We are investing huge money in our infrastructure.
Also, Armenia has four neighbors, Georgia in the north, Iran in the south, Azerbaijan in the east, and Turkey in the west. So we have excellent relations with two of the four countries, Georgia and Iran, and we are trying to normalize our relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, with the understanding that we are going to open the borders, have railway connection, and even if we give a very specific name to this project, the infrastructure part, the “Crossroads of Peace”. So we are trying to create an environment of peace and prosperity around Armenia so that everyone could benefit, not only Armenia, not only Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia, Iran, but also the larger region.
So if you want to connect India and France, I must say you have to pay close attention to what is in between, and there is a space and environment there where you can have a rest, refuel, and then continue your trip.
Question: Minister, the broader connectivity projects today are also looking at digital connectivity, knowledge connectivity, innovation connectivity. Are you very impressed with the Armenia start-up sector, the technology sector? Do you think there is now a business case for actually looking at the hubs in Europe such as France, Bangalore, and other hubs in India, and of course the new center of tomorrow such as Armenia?
Ararat Mirzoyan: Absolutely. So this is another direction where we are investing very much. You know, there are several preconditions, and probably the most important is that we have the human resources, the people, the talents who are in this business, and secondly we have electricity for data centers, for the infrastructure. This is another interesting coincidence? two days ago we announced the establishment of a huge AI project in Armenia with participation of French MISTRA, NVIDIA, and several other actors, and this is only one of the examples. So again, when you look at AI, when you look at the IT and cooperation in these spheres, Armenia is the safe haven for 100%.
Question: Minister Mirzoyan and Dr. Jaishankar, what are some interesting ideas for these new plurilateral groups for connectivity that can shape the future? What are the kind of partnerships that could really cement this new moment?
Ararat Mirzoyan: Well, during the whole conversation, there were several expressions that I would like to pay attention to. You said business first, everybody was speaking about disrupted supply chains, economic benefits. But my impression is that we are missing something. If the economic benefits are at the core of everything that is going on in the world, then probably Europe should continue buying gas from Russia, or oil from Russia. Then probably, on the connectivity, the easiest, cheapest ways are the core of the things, then probably, I’m sorry to say, India should connect with the rest of the world, with the West, through Pakistan. So it’s not going, it’s not taking place, right? There should be a reason why.
This makes, at least me, think that there is something beyond the economic benefits. There are geopolitical interests. And here is why, and I strongly believe in this, this is why Europe, France, wants to get closer with India, and vice-versa, India wants to get closer with Europe. Because, again, if we talk about economic benefits, there are cheaper ways and more efficient ways.
If you speak about the willingness and aspiration to be a bigger power, then there are always bigger fishes in the ocean. Let’s have a frank conversation. There is the United States, there is China, there is Russia, they are all stronger military-wise, no? Aren’t they? So, behind this mutual aspiration to be closer to each other, I also see some geopolitical aspiration by India and by Europe, and I see a wish to have a stronger say in geopolitical affairs.
I’m from a third country, neither the EU, nor India, I’m Armenian, right? Why do I want to back this aspiration? Why do I want to support? Because I see some justification behind this aspiration: to have stronger and more just and more fair international order. International order is disrupted, starting from the pandemic and then the war in Ukraine, and that’s why the world went crazy, right? So, if you want to rebuild international order, and if Europe and India want to have a stronger say in this, then some countries like Armenia might be wanting to support you here. If not, then it’s just a wish to have power, or having bigger power.
This was not a direct answer to your question, but these were my observations about our conversation. So why do you want to get closer? Maybe you share the ideals, values? That’s it. Because India is the biggest democracy and the EU is a continent, or company or the club of countries with the strongest democratic institutions. But we also see that the EU countries have started hesitating, no? Is everything ok within Europe? Are the demands justified?
Ararat Mirzoyan (closing remarks): This time I will be short. The Armenian solution, the Armenian response, first, when it comes to logistics, is the “Crossroads of Peace”. This is our path of the West-East or East-West or North-South passage we will take care of. And secondly, innovation, AI, and big data centers. I already said that Armenia is a safe haven in that context.
Thank you
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