Aide says Armenian-Georgian ties may help solve Tbilisi’s problems with Moscow

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian 1130 gmt 19 Aug 05

Yerevan, 19 August: “The deepening of cooperation between Armenia and
Georgia and personal contacts between the two countries’ presidents
can play a positive role in resolving the existing problems between
Moscow and Tbilisi,” the Armenian president’s press secretary, Viktor
Sogomonyan, said in an interview with Mediamax new agency today.

Sogomonyan said this while commenting at Mediamax’s request on
the statements of some Russian political analysts that Armenia’s
rapprochement with Georgia allegedly testified to Yerevan’s intention
to “turn its back” on Moscow.

“There is no reason to say that the rapprochement between Tbilisi
and Yerevan might mean the change in the relations between Armenia
and Russia. This is absolutely incorrect perception of events. We
should consider relations of both Yerevan and Moscow with their
common neighbours in the region in the context of Armenian-Russian
strategic partnership as a certain mediation resource for resolving
touchy problems. For example, Yerevan perceives the development of
Russian-Turkish or Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation in an exclusively
positive fashion.

“There is clear-cut understanding that this can only have a positive
impact on the establishment of a lasting peace in the region, the
establishment of the Armenian-Turkish political dialogue and the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict,” the press secretary of the
Armenian president pointed out.

“Similarly, the deepening of cooperation between Armenia and Georgia
and personal contacts of the two countries’ presidents can play a
positive role in resolving the existing problems between Moscow and
Tbilisi. I am confident that this is the most correct approach to
`Moscow’s view ‘ of the current stage of the Armenian-Georgian
relations,” Sogomonyan said.