Cooperation with CSTO, NATO gives more security to Armenia
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
December 17, 2004 Friday
YEREVAN, December 17 — The accession to NATO is not on the current
foreign political agenda of Armenia, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan
said at Friday debates organized by the Public Dialog and Development
Center.
He was speaking about regional security in the South Caucasus.
“At the same time, Armenia is realistic about regional security. It
does not make premature statements but develops cooperation with
the North Atlantic Alliance step by step,” the minister said. “In
this light relations with NATO have a serious role in the provision
of Armenian security. Finally, our country has chosen European
development, and NATO is a leading organization ensuring European
security.”
“Relations between Armenia and NATO will develop as long as there is
no contradiction between international commitments of the republic
to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and NATO,”
the minister said. “Cooperation in the CSTO and NATO is mutually
supplementary and gives additional security guarantees to Armenia
and the region at large,” he said.
“The CSTO Charter does not put limits on contacts with other countries
and international organizations,” the minister said. “Also, we think
that rapprochement between the CSTO and NATO in a number of issues
and common threats and tasks give us rather broad possibilities in
the development of relations with NATO,” he said.
“Relations with NATO do not have specific political goals, they are
developing naturally and are based on the need to neutralize dangers
and threats the country is facing,” Sarkisyan said.