VARTAN OSKANIAN: IT IS BETTER THAT AZERBAIJAN TRIES TO REACH ARMENIA’S
LEVELS IN OTHER FIELDS, THAN TAKE PRIDE IN BEING AHEAD WITH ITS
MILITARY CAPACITY
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “After Rambouillet
and the backtracking that we sensed there, the challenge is to preserve
the positive achievements and build on those. The co-chairs will meet
soon and then it will be clearer what might happen next,” RA Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian stated in the March 16 interveiw to the
Armenian 2nd TV. He mentioned that in the discussions with Daniel
Fired, the U.S. Asssistant Secreatry of State for the European and
Eurasian Affairs, and OSCE Minsk Group American Co-Chairman Steven
Mann, revolved around how one might do that in a way that tries to find
solutions for the deadlocked situation.”
As for the continuing warlike statments of Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliev, the Minister mentioned: “It isn’t the first time that we hear
about the increase in the military budget of Azerbaijan, It seems
that this budget is increasing day by day, and that’s the reason that
Azernaijani soldiers violate the ceasefire continuously. They must
have extra bullets to spare.”
According to Vartan Oskanian, today, in the civilized world,
peoples and states don’t compete over the size of their military
budget. “That’s not what they take pride in when they compare
themselves with their neighbors. Today, the spheres of competition
are elsewhere. And in all those spheres, Armenia is ahead of
Azerbaijan. So far ahead that there is really no room to compare,”
the Foreign Minister stated.
According to him, beginning with the UN’s human development
index, Armenia is ahead of Azerbaijan. The international index
that gauges Armenia’s investment climate puts Armenia way ahead
of Azerbaijan. They’re not even a member of the WTO. There is
no comparison in level of democratic development, human rights
protections or press freedoms. In indexes that measure economic
freedoms and development, and transparency and gains in the battle
against corruption, Armenia is disproportionately better than
Azerbaijan. Despite the fact that it’s how many years now that
Azerbaijan produces 400,000 barrels of oil, the per capita income in
Azerbaijan still hasn’t reached Armenia’s.
“It is better that Azerbaijan tries to reach Armenia’s levels in other
fields, than tries to compete and take pride in being ahead with its
military capacity.” Vartan Oskanian summed up.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
