MEETING WITH ENGLISH DIPLOMATS
National Assembly of RA, Armenia
June 20 2006
On June 19 Vahan Hovhannisyan, Vice Speaker of RA National Assembly
and Levon Lazarian, RA Minister of Education and Science met Anthony
John James Cantor, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland and Andrew Page, Deputy Head of Russia, South
Caucasus and Central Asia Directorate of the UK’s FCO.
Upon Mr. Page’s request, Vahan Hovhannisyan, NA Vice Speaker touched
upon the inner developments of the country, the reforms directed to
Euro integration, the political shuffle, the forthcoming 2007 and
2008 parliamentary and presidential elections.
As Mr. Hovhannisyan evaluated, the presidential elections will greatly
depend on the forthcoming parliamentary elections. These elections
will also be a cornerstone of the country’s democratisation. So all
political forces should make all efforts not to violate the law. The
legislative, economic and political reforms implementing in the country
are on the right way, though there are drawbacks in the mechanisms
of their fulfillment. The external factors, in particular Turkey’s
blockade and Azerbaijan’s non-constructive stance connected with the
settlement of Karabakh problem have their negative impact on Armenia’s
development of economy.
In response to Mr. Page’s question, what forecasts are there for the
settlement of the Karabakh problem, Mr. Hovhannisyan informed that
within the framework of the Minsk Group there are 3 recommendations,
which Armenia adopted, and Azerbaijan denied. The latter doesn’t want
to see the key problem, but to eliminate the consequences, which
is not possible without key problem. Vahan Hovhannisyan considered
impermissible the Azeri’s way of thinking in solving the problem by
force later taking into account the oil factor, and not taking strict
steps against that phenomenon by the world public.
Mr. Page noted that some economic circles can connect the Karabakh
problem with the oil factor, but that is not the official stance of
Great Britain, and ensured that his country does everything for finding
mutually beneficial settlement of the Karabakh problem in peaceful way.