"Where are we going?" Politician on launching Armenia`s EU accession  

ArmInfo.By adopting the bill to launch Armenia's EU accession, Armenia risks getting involved in a futile process that will not only harm its strategic interests, but will  likely result in the EU closing its doors to them. Former Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Artak Zakaryan, shares a similar point of view.

 According to him, this is also a  question of what the European Union will look like and what its  priorities will be in a few years, if, of course, it retains its  current structure. "I believe that 2024 has become a turning point  for European politics. The wave of far-right forces that began to  gain momentum in the previous decade has turned into a tsunami in  2024. For the first time in modern history, radical right-wing  parties are not only gaining mass support, but also real  opportunities to govern states. At first glance, this trend may seem  alarming: the rise of xenophobia, the erosion of liberal values, the  strengthening of migration rhetoric, etc.  However, it is worth  considering the reasons for this shift. Europe, which has experienced  economic, migration, cultural and security crises in recent years, is  searching for answers. Many citizens of European countries feel that  their voices are no longer heard and that national identity in Europe  is eroding due to globalism and multiculturalism. In such  circumstances, a return to right-wing values can be seen as an effort  to preserve European identity," the politician wrote on social  networks. 

He noted that the nation-state models promoted by right-wing parties,  as an alternative to pan-European bureaucracy and the  liberal-globalist model offer Europeans a sense of national belonging  and control over their own interests. "It is also worth emphasizing  that these processes are not uniform and unambiguous.  There is a  certain difference between the pragmatic approach of Giorgio Meloni  in Italy and the radical rhetoric of Herbert Kickl in Austria or  Alice Weidel in Germany. The future of Europe, in my opinion, will  depend on the approach of the right-wing forces. Which path will be  dominant? Today, the question of the future is also whether it will  maintain a balance between traditional European values and modernity,  national identity and respect for human rights. The answer to this  question will determine the future, whether 2024 will be recorded in  European history as the beginning of the revival of pure identity or  will turn into a stage of temporary isolation and detachment from  global events," the former deputy minister stated.