Armenia aims to advance with pragmatism, says Cypriot expert on Yerevan-Baku and Yerevan-Ankara processes

Professor Andreas Theophanous, President of the Cyprus Center for European and International Relations, commends the steps taken by Armenia toward the normalization of relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

He believes that the European Union could contribute to this process; however, he also stresses the importance of managing expectations, noting that the EU has not yet fully developed as a global power with a cohesive foreign and security policy or significant leverage in international politics.

Professor Theophanous shared these views in an interview with Armenpress, within the framework of the "Yerevan Dialogue" international forum. He spoke about the current state of Armenia–Cyprus and Armenia–European Union relations, as well as the broader geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus.

– Mr. Theophanous, in general, how would you assess the current relations between Armenia and Cyprus, and what prospects do you see for the further strengthening and development of Armenian-Cypriot relations?

-There have always been historical and cultural ties between the peoples of Armenia and Cyprus. Now, we have an Armenian embassy in Nicosia and a Cypriot embassy in Yerevan, which is very important. I believe that in addition to cultural and economic relations, we could explore opportunities in the field of education. I think that sharing experiences in the political sphere is also very valuable. Armenia is facing many challenges, with changes in policy and approaches to those changes. We can share with you our own experiences,what has gone wrong over time, what we have achieved, and so on. I believe such an exchange would be very beneficial.”

– As for the cooperation between the two countries, in what fields do you see opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation?

– In the economic sphere, of course, in the sphere of education, but also in the exchange of information on the policies of the two countries. That is, you have an ethnic conflict, we have an ethnic conflict, you want to get closer to the European Union and the West in general, Cyprus is part of the European Union, it is very important to share experience and how we act in that direction. In addition, there is also the importance of narrative. One of the problems facing Cyprus is that it has not been able to convey a message to the international community about what has really happened in Cyprus. I can ask the same question here: what are the issues Armenia is facing, what has recently happened in Nagorno-Karabakh, what does Armenia want in its relations with the region, in its relations with the West, as well as in its geopolitical directions?

– As we know, in recent years Armenia has been actively deepening cooperation and relations with the European Union. What would be Cyprus’ advice, as a member of the European Union, to Armenia in this regard?

– This is not an issue of advice, but a question of exchanging information and making one's own conclusions. For example, I can say that when Cyprus was carrying out its accession process with the European Union, there were extremely high expectations-expectations about how the European Union could address the Cyprus issue, how it could help us overcome the occupation by Turkey and achieve a solution to the Cyprus problem. I would not use the word "just," but a "manageable" solution.

Our expectations have not been met in this regard. There was some disappointment by Cyprus, because we had higher expectations than what we actually got. Moreover, I would say that we have observed that the European Union's reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine was very different from the Union's response to Turkey's occupation of the northern part of Cyprus. And it is not only us who have noticed this - foreign observers are also talking about this.

You saw that in the case of Russia, there were so many sanctions that today there is great antagonism between Europe and Russia. In the case of Turkey's occupation of the northern part of Cyprus, Europe did not react. There are multi-sectoral relations with Turkey. Turkey receives so much money from the European Union without any significant conditions. I would also say that the northern part of Cyprus is an occupied European territory, and we expected higher sensitivity from our European partners, but that has not been the case.

– Now the Armenian leadership is taking steps to normalize relations with Turkey, despite the existing historical differences. There are also problems between Cyprus and Turkey. How can we compare these two situations, and how would you describe them?

– By definition, each case is unique, although there may be similarities and differences. In the case of Armenia, we are aware of the historical grievances of the Armenian people regarding the Genocide. At this point, the Armenian government wants to move forward with pragmatism. It wants to achieve normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, while also respecting the territorial integrity of all countries. I respect that very much.

In our case, Turkey invaded Cyprus, occupying almost 40% of the territory, and refuses to discuss the Cyprus problem directly with us. So, intercommunal negotiations are underway between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, although the Turkish Cypriots cannot make any decisions without Turkey. So, in our case, the situation has been very difficult. I would say that there has been no progress, despite many concessions by the Republic of Cyprus and the Greek Cypriots in general.

The policy pursued by Nicosia over the past 50 years has not led to any results. Personally, since I follow this issue, study it, and write about it, I come to the conclusion that we must enrich the process. I have suggested a gradual approach to the solution of the Cyprus problem, where we advance steps or proposals for a normal state, and at the same time, we need to have a narrative to convince our European partners and the international community of this.

It is also important to strengthen the factors of power. This is a difficult situation. Now, returning to the issue of Armenia, it is not just about relations between Armenia and Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Turkey and Azerbaijan. As you know, there are other players also.

I am sure that the European Union could make its contribution, but on the other hand, it is very important not to have high expectations from the Union in the sense that it has not yet fully developed itself as a power with a foreign policy, a security policy, and extremely high leverage in international politics. So, it is very important to keep this in mind.

At the same time, I understand the decisions of the Armenian government, which is trying to proceed and achieve a situation where it will be possible to have peace and stability.

– Mr. Theophanous, how would you describe and assess the Yerevan Dialogue international forum, its importance or role in modern international relations?

– I have followed the discussions; the opening of the conference was impressive, first with the speech of the Armenian Foreign Minister, who tried to describe the world, the challenges the world faces, and what Armenia is trying to do. Then we listened to the Prime Minister of Armenia, who focused exclusively on the issue of achieving peace with Azerbaijan.

He also hinted at relations with Turkey and other countries. It was a clear message, directed not only to the Armenian people, but also to the large number of foreigners gathered here. Then we also heard the Prime Minister of Slovakia, who presented his position on the importance of participating in the activities of the European Union.

At the same time, he underlined that he would not agree with all the decisions made by the European Union. That was sincere and brave on his part. And it reflects the current reality. So I consider this event, this exchange, important, and I have also followed other discussions on other pressing issues in today's world, including relations between the United States and the European Union, relations between Europe and Russia, and the trends there, as well as positions on the Ukrainian issue.

I also pointed out Cyprus during the discussion. So, the conference gives us an opportunity to raise certain issues here. I also find it very important to discuss the importance of economics in regional conflicts, in attempts to improve the situation in different countries.

But I would point out that while economics, trade, and communication are important in the relations between peoples, between nations, they are not enough. When, for example, you need to make peace, economics can help, but you need the political will to actually do what you want: peace with stability and the feeling that it is a fair settlement.