Armenia has no plans to join NATO, EU – leader says

Mediamax news agency
22 Apr 06

Yerevan, April 22. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has said that
“Armenia is not going to join NATO.”

The head of the state said this in response to the question of Golos
Armenii newspaper, Mediamax reports. The newspaper asked the
president to comment on the statement by Armenian National Assembly
speaker Artur Bagdasaryan made in the interview with German newspaper
Frankfurter Allgemeine [Zeitung] on April 19. In this interview Artur
Bagdasaryan particularly said that “Armenia’s future is the European
Union and NATO” and “Russia should not stand in our way to Europe”.

Robert Kocharyan said the following:

“Armenia’s foreign policy course remains unchanged. Within the
framework of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) our
country is expanding cooperation with the North Atlantic alliance as
a key European organization for security provision. We hope for
fruitful cooperation especially as regards the reform of country’s
armed forces and peacekeeping. But Armenia is not going to join NATO.

“[Armenia’s] Membership of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) and the high level of military-technical
cooperation with the Russian Federation help solve the issue of the
country’s security provision. Today, Armenia is preparing for a
closer cooperation with the European Union within the European
Neighbourhood Policy, but we have not set the task of joining the EU.

“Armenia’s Euroatlantic ambitions are balanced, realistic and are
positively perceived by European structures and do not create
problems in relations with Russia. We voice our position in the same
way in Moscow, Brussels and Washington.”