NATO SECRETARY GENERAL LOOKING FOR PARTNERS IN CAUCASUS
Azg
9 Nov 04
Serge Sargsian: No Issue of Becoming NATO Members Included in
RA Political Agenda. Relations between RA and NATO Canâ~@~Yt Have
Negative Impact on Russian-Armenian Relations
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO Secretary General, who paid a short
visit to Armenia within the framework of his regional visit, stated
in the course of the press conference held after the meeting with RA
President Robert Kocharian that “Armeniaâ~@~Ys relations with NATO
are developing very well.”
President Kocharian told Scheffer that Armenia is ready to
deepen relations with NATO. According to the press release of RA
Presidentâ~@~Ys press office, Kocharian stated that recently Armenia
has enlarged the cooperation with NATO. “Armenia has already its
representative at NATO, we try to participate in a number of programs
more actively,” he said.
In late June it was fixed in the joint communiqué adopted at NATO
Istanbul summit that NATO is going to pay special attention to the
South Caucasus and the Central Asian regions. Already on September
15, Brussels appointed NATOâ~@~Ys special representative for these
regions. Robert Simons was accompanying Scheffer during his visits
to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
NATO Secretary General informed the journalists that NATO is not going
to compete with any country or organization in this region. During his
meeting with the students of the Yerevan State University, Scheffer
said that NATO needs partners in this region.
He said that the Organization is conducting peacemaking activities in
Kosovo and Afghanistan and, in particular, emphasized Armeniaâ~@~Ys
contribution to the peacemaking activities in Kosovo. NATOâ~@~Ys role
in the peacemaking activities will be enlarged. Scheffer said that the
Organization is deepening its relations with the countries that can
contribute to the settlement of such global issues as those related
to mass destruction arms and anti-terrorist struggle. Scheffer said
that one canâ~@~Yt fight against such enemies alone. That is why it
is necessary that the anti-terrorist struggle should be conducted by
joint efforts.
Scheffer noticed in the talk with the journalists that Armenia took a
principal step expressing its determination in signing an Individual
Partnership Action Plan with NATO. He emphasized that Armenia should
independently decide on its priorities and represent them to NATOâ~@~Ys
consideration.
Itâ~@~Ys worth mentioning that only Georgia is cooperating with
NATO on Individual Partnership Action Plan among the South Caucasus
countries. On November 5, during a short talk with journalists, Serge
Sargsian, RA Defense Minister, said that the government should approve
the program, it also concerns the reforms in the armed forces, while
the Individual Partnership Action Plan means deepening Armeniaâ~@~Ys
relations with NATO.
Answering question put by Azg Daily Sargsian said that there is no
issue of becoming a NATO member on the foreign political agenda of
Armenia, and the deepening of Armenia-NATO relations canâ~@~Yt have
any negative impact on the Armenian-Russian relations.
Scheffer noticed during the meeting with the journalists that the
three South Caucasus countries have different positions in the issue
of becoming NATO members. According to him, if President Mikheil
Saakashvili directly announces about his countryâ~@~Ys determination
to become a NATO member, he heard nothing similar in Armenia. In this
respect, Scheffer repeated that deepening of Armenia-NATO relations
does not mean that it is directed against a third country. “I
havenâ~@~Yt come here to compete with anyone,” he said.
During the meeting with the students, Scheffer stated that NATO
has no plan on establishing a military station in any of the South
Caucasus countries. He reminded that Georgia has unsolved issues in
the South Ossetia, Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh. He added that NATO
isnâ~@~Yt going to interfere in these conflicts. Earlier Scheffer
told the journalists: “NATO is for brief settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. The alliance has no determination to deal with the settlement
of the conflict. We believe that OSCE Minsk group should play the
main role in achieving the settlement.”
In Tbilisi, during a joint press conference with Mikheil Saakashvili,
Scheffer said that Russia and NATO have very good relations, but,
henceforth, the alliance will also demand from Russia to meet the
commitments undertaken in OSCE Istanbul assembly in 1999. Itâ~@~Ys
worth reminding that, according to the commitments of Istanbul
assembly, Russia should begin negotiations with Tbilisi around the
deadlines of dislocating Batumiâ~@~Ys 12th and Akhalkalakâ~@~Ys 62d
military bases.
According to Civil online newspaper, Saakashvili announced that Georgia
is getting closer and closer to NATO. The president said probably
till 2009 Georgia will become a NATO member-country. Scheffer said
in his turn that he is realistic and optimistic, but he added that
he will speak of no deadlines in the issue of Georgiaâ~@~Ys membership.
At Yerevan State University, Scheffer said the Organization considers
the South Caucasus as one region, but it applies individual principal
in relations with each republic. “Armenia can develop relations with
NATO without decreasing its relations with other countries. NATO is
Russiaâ~@~Y partner,” Scheffer said.
NATO Secretary general announced in Yerevan that the alliance is not
going to play an active part in the issue of securing the safety of
Baku-Tbilisi-Jeihan oil pipeline.
By Tatoul Hakobian
–Boundary_(ID_SgvIg2g5ipZyWkU/dImwkw)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress