Azerbaijani president to receive EUR 2bln financial aid from EU for anti-Russian stance over Ukraine -  Stepan Grigoryan

ArmInfo.Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will receive Euro 2bln financial aid from the European Union (EU) for his anti-Russian stance over Ukraine, Stepan  Grigoryan, Director of the Analytical Centre on Globalisation and  Regional Cooperation (ACGRC), told ArmInfo. 

"By going to Kiev and speaking up for Ukraine's territorial integrity  Aliyev showed the West his own stance on the Ukraine crisis. And, of  course, Azerbaijan's second - quite real rather than declarative -  step toward the European Union should be stressed, namely, a contract  for supply of 10bln cubic meters of gas to Europe. In the context of  Russia's policy of energy monopoly, it was an obviously anti-Russian  step by Azerbaijan, with Brussels appreciating it," Mr Grigoryan.  

As regards the European billions to be provided to Azerbaijan, these  are nothing but investments. However, in the case o the EUR 2.6bln to  be provided to Armenia, grants constitute 60% of the total amount.  The Azerbaijani president is sparing no effort now to prevent the  provision of part of the EU aid to the Armenian army. 

According to Mr Grigoryan, Aliyev is seeking to convince the West of  the Armenian leadership's planning and preparing for a vengeful war,  as well as of Yerevan's intention to use part of the  Brussels-provided aid to re-arm and upgrade its armed forces, whereas  Yerevan's response to Baku's activity is sluggish and  situation-dependent. 

In this context, the expert notes it was several months ago that he  heard the Armenian leadership mention the EU aid to Armenia, to say  nothing of real steps to prepare specific projects in Armenia. Mr  Grigoryan cannot understand the Armenian authorities' passivity in  the context of Brussels' intentions. 

"I do not rule out at all that something is being done to implement  the programmes in Armenia, but the public is not at all informed of  the steps. I and consider it inadmissible - primarily in view of the  fact that the projects to be implemented are of vital importance for  Armenia. Among them are the North-South motorway and the Euro 600mln  aid to SME development, especially in the Syunik region. Moreover,  the provision of Euro 2.6bln by the EU has nothing to do with the  Armenia-EU cooperation under SEPA. And, with grants constituting the  larger part of the aid package, I consider it a present worthy of  appreciation," Mr Grigoryan. 

The EU is not putting a single obstacle to developing its cooperation  with Armenia. Moreover, the recent initiatives by French President  Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Council Charles Michel  have shown the EU's intensified efforts to settle the Artsakh  problem. In this context, the major problem in implementing the  projects as part of the EU financial aid to Armenia is the Armenian  leadership's sluggishness, which is "too expensive a luxury" against  Azerbaijan's activity.