BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 3. The EU is swimming in troubled waters and must urgently review all the rules that govern its relations with pressure groups and shadow lobbyists, Sebastien Boussois, Doctor in political science and specialist in the Middle East, said in his article in Le Vif, a French language weekly news magazine published in Brussels, Belgium, Trend reports.
According to the expert, the impact of corruption in all EU member states still amounts to 1 trillion euros per year.
He reminded the case of Vice-President of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, who is currently facing charges for bribes she received from the Armenian lobby.
"For years, the former Greek television presenter, according to private sources in Brussels, would have acted on behalf of other countries including Armenia and its powerful lobbying," Boussois said.
Moreover, as he noted in his article, on November 19, a group of parliamentarians signed a declaration accusing Azerbaijan of having committed "an aggression against Armenia" and of having "violated its territorial integrity".
"The 33 signatories, including Eva Kaïli, are members of the European Parliament's friendship group with Armenia, closely linked to the largest pro-Armenian organization in Europe, EAFJD (Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy) financed by the millionaire Kaspar Karampetyan", who is, as Boussois mentioned, "well known in Belgium for his rather opaque business in the diamond business, in particular for his illegal import and certification of minerals from African conflict zones to Europe".
"According to other private sources, part of the millionaire's resources were used to support the armed action of the Karabakh separatists, the very ones who had occupied the region since 1992, contrary to international law," he added.
Some are already talking about the upcoming "Kaspargate" when speaking of diamond smugglers lobbying European institutions. The Europe-Armenia Friendship Group and its relationship with this man will need to be further investigated soon, the expert noted.
"This has been going on for years, without any real sanctions being applied to punish those responsible. The opaque relations that unite the Europe-Armenia friendship group, the individuals who run it, such as the relations with the businessman Karampetyan are the new best example," Boussois said.
According to the French analyst, this scandal reveals that Europe is not infallible and must reform itself urgently, and precisely in the name of its ideals, it must set up a much stricter control in its relations with lobbying.