Armenian foreign minister welcomes CIS leaders’ criticism of OSCE

Arminfo
20 Jul 04

YEREVAN

The statement by the heads of CIS countries regarding the activities
of the OSCE has been issued in time, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan has told Armenian Public Television.

He said although the statement contains criticism, it would be wrong
to describe it as criticism. Analysts who believe that Armenia’s
support for the statement will produce negative consequences are
probably not keeping abreast of the current processes inside the OSCE,
the Armenian foreign minister thinks.

He said that the timeliness of the CIS leaders’ statement is explained
by the fact that serious debates are under way in the OSCE. “The task
is to make this organization transparent, effective and successful.
The aim of the statement is to help reforms,” the minister said.

The minister also expressed discontent with the opinion that the
criticism of the OSCE could reflect on the negotiations on the
Nagornyy Karabakh settlement. “There is no link here,” the Armenian
foreign minister stressed.

In conclusion, the minister said that it was also necessary for
Armenia to contribute to the reformation of the organization. At the
same time, the minister pointed out that the biggest task is to
reconsider the well-established tradition of taking decisions behind
the scenes on some issues which are not put on the agenda of plenary
sessions and for all to hear. The voices of small countries get lost
during this process.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress