DISASTROUS FOREIGN POLICY MADE ARMENIA MARGINAL IN REGIONAL PROCESSES:
HOVHANNES HOVHANNESYAN

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. If Armenia fails to get integrated into
global foreign-policy processes before 2009, by 2010 it will only turn
into a territory inhabited by Armenian-speaking people, Chairman of
the Liberal-Progressive Party (LPP) Hovhannes Hovhannesyan stated at
the “Azdak” discussion club today.

According to him, Armenia is no longer pursuing a flexible foreign
policy and has become a country isolated from all the regional
communication, economic, and political processes. Hovhannesyan pointed
out the fact of Armenia remaining outside the EU-implemented INOGATE
and TRACECA projects, and the North-South railway section skirted the
country. According to Hovhannesyan, the construction of the
Iran-Armenian gas main is danger as well,as the laying of a gas
pipeline with a diameter of 700mm will be of no benefit to either
Armenia or Iran.

Hovhannesyan also stated that Armenia’s orientation to Russia has put
the country into a most delicate situation. “The international
community views Armenia as Russia’s vassal, which makes Europe, the
USA and NATO to turn from the country, the LPP leader said. According
to him, Russia values Armenia now, as all its other satellites have
got out of its control. On the other hand, it did not prevent RF
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to make a statement the other day that
Moscow recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sees a
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as based only on this
principle. According to Hovhannesyan the fact that the Speaker of the
Iranian Parliament made a similar statement in Baku the other day
testifies to Yerevan’s disastrous foreign policy. The LPP leader said
that the international community is now forcing on the Armenian side
“a scheme of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that does not
meet its interests.”

According to Hovhannesyan, Armenia’s membership in the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is not justified as well, as the
country does not border on any of the CSTO members. “Armenia’s
membership in the CSTO does not solve its security problems,” he
said. Meanwhile, Armenia’s neighbors, Georgia and Azerbaijan, are
making every effort to get integrated into NATO. According to
Hovhannesyan, it may happen as soon as 2007, in which case Armenia
will find itself isolated, as, in case of need, the CSTO members will
not be able to render prompt assistance to it through the territory of
its neighbors, which will be NATO members.