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Kotacharian: Armenia Will Not Join NATO

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  • Kotacharian: Armenia Will Not Join NATO

    ARMENIA DEVELOPS RELATIONS WITH NATO, WON'T BECOME MEMBER

    ITAR-TASS, Russia
    July 16 2007

    YEREVAN, July 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Armenia will develop relations with
    the North Atlantic Alliance but will not become its member, President
    Robert Kocharian said in an interview with the German magazine Der
    Spiegel published in Yerevan on Sunday.

    The entry into NATO would not enlarge Armenia's security, but it
    would spoil the Armenian relations with neighbors, the president said.

    "The accession to any military bloc cannot be a goal in itself or a
    fashion," Kocharian said. "Meanwhile, the accession to the Collective
    Security Treaty (CST), whose member Russia is, will meet our security
    interests."

    "It is important for Armenia to develop relations with NATO, but
    membership in that alliance will not enhance our security. It will make
    our position ambiguous," he said. "We live in an complicated region. We
    have constructive relations with Iran and close contacts with Russia."

    As for the affiliation to the European Union, the Armenian leader said,
    "We are realistic and do not set the goal of entry into the EU for
    the near future. Plenty of states have voiced their wish to enter
    into the European Union."

    He said, however, he "will do his best for bringing cooperation with
    the EU to a higher level."

    Armenia objects to new international sanctions on Iran and thinks that
    the Iranian nuclear problem should be resolved with political methods,
    Kocharian said.

    "Tighter sanctions will escalate tensions. It is hard to predict
    where such negative dynamics may lead," he said.

    "We are against sanctions that may be harmful for us and other states,"
    he said. Punitive measures "will hardly pave the way to the solution
    of the Iranian nuclear problem," he added.

    "The Iranian administration is convinced that it acts in compliance
    with international agreements," the chief of state said. "Iranian
    officials said that their nuclear program does not have military goals,
    while the West thinks the opposite."

    "However, if the pressure on Iran escalates, the country feels that
    it is not being treated fairly and the Iranian people think that the
    West is applying double standards, Iranians will decide that they are
    ready to make sacrifices for the benefit of the just cause," he said.

    Armenia "has constructive relations with Iran and develops economic
    cooperation," Kocharian said. "Relations with the other two neighbors,
    Azerbaijan and Turkey, leave much to be desired, so we do not want
    to spoil relations with the third neighbor, Iran."

    Kocharian reaffirmed the Armenian position in the Karabakh conflict.

    Karabakh residents have a right to independence and self-determination,
    he said.

    "An asymmetric confederation is the future of Armenia and Karabakh,"
    he said.

    "Karabakh residents have no less rights to independence than Kosovo
    Albanians," the president said. The unrecognized Karabakh republic
    "has developed into a full-scale state," he said.

    He called for using peacekeepers in the Karabakh settlement. "It
    should be an international peacekeeping force," Kocharian said.

    The president admitted the permanent threat of war in the region but
    said, "Yerevan has no intention to start a military operation."

    "However, we will act in compliance with the military situation and
    our security interests in case of an aggression," he said.

    Azerbaijan strongly disagrees with the Armenian position. Azerbaijani
    officials have said many times they will not allow the independence
    of Karabakh, which is a part of Azerbaijan. Baku demands that Yerevan
    must withdraw from the occupied lands. The settlement of the conflict,
    which has been on for over 15 years, involves representatives of
    Russia, the United States and France that make up the OSCE Minsk
    Group. The consultations of intermediaries with the leaders of the
    conflicting sides are held in parallel with the negotiations between
    the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders. The Karabakh ceasefire agreement
    has been in effect since 1994.




    What if I find someone else when looking for you? My soul shivers as the idea invades my mind.

  • #2
    Re: Kotacharian: Armenia Will Not Join NATO

    "Public opinion in Armenia remains divided on the issue of
    NATO membership. A recent poll organized by the U.S. Agency for
    International Development and the International Republican Institute
    found that 40 percent of Armenians think the country "definitely"
    or "probably" should join the alliance, while 45 percent said it
    "definitely" or "probably" should not. The same poll found that 80
    percent of Armenians favor EU membership."




    [The integral text.]


    ARMENIA SAYS NOT AIMING FOR NATO, EU MEMBERSHIP

    A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL, 7/16/07
    EurasiaNet, NY
    July 16 2007

    Armenian President Robert Kocharian says his country has no intention
    of joining NATO.

    In remarks published on July 15 by the German magazine "Der Spiegel,"
    Kocharian said NATO membership would harm Armenia's relations with
    neighboring countries and would do little to improve its national
    security.

    Kocharian said Armenia is currently not aiming for EU membership
    either. "We are realistic," he said.

    Although Kocharian's remarks do not represent a shift in Armenia's
    foreign policy, they are more blunt than previous declarations.

    Analysts in Armenia believe the president, whose term of office ends
    next year, has decided to stress relations with Russia as Armenia's
    highest foreign-policy priority.

    At the same time, Armenia is concerned about maintaining relations
    with Iran, a major strategic and trading partner.

    Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, who seems poised to succeed Kocharian
    as president, told Reuters recently that NATO membership would not
    guarantee Armenia's security. He noted that NATO member Turkey has
    been keeping Armenia's border closed for years and added that Turkey
    is not a "predictable" factor, noting that Turkey was a NATO member
    when the Cyprus conflict erupted in 1974.

    Public opinion in Armenia remains divided on the issue of
    NATO membership. A recent poll organized by the U.S. Agency for
    International Development and the International Republican Institute
    found that 40 percent of Armenians think the country "definitely"
    or "probably" should join the alliance, while 45 percent said it
    "definitely" or "probably" should not. The same poll found that 80
    percent of Armenians favor EU membership.
    What if I find someone else when looking for you? My soul shivers as the idea invades my mind.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Kotacharian: Armenia Will Not Join NATO

      Kotacharian: Armenia Will Not Join NATO
      Very good news!

      Comment

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