Armenian Vice Speaker: "Armenia is not ready for NATO membership"

Journal of Turkish Weekly
July 9 2006

"NATO membership means rebuilding relations with that organization –
something Armenia is not ready for today," the vice speaker of the
Armenian parliament Vahan Hovhannissyan said during a roundtable with
NATO representatives.

Armenia has close military co-operation of Russia. Yerevan is
considered the only Russian ally in the region while Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Turkey have close military ties with the US, EU and
the NATO, Regnum reported.

Hovhannissyan said that since the Soviet times Armenia has regarded
NATO as some military organization – some alliance formed for
protecting the European democratic values. "It later turned out that
many countries join NATO not so much for adopting these values as for
feeling more protected, for gaining some cover," Hovhannissyan said.

"Obviously, the new NATO and EU members from Eastern Europe were not
ready for that. Unlike its neighbors, Armenia believes that the key
goal of NATO membership is to attain conformity with the European
standards so that this membership be natural rather than artificial."

Hovhannissyan noted that membership in NATO means rebuilding relations
with that organization – something Armenia is not ready to do yet.

Asked by British delegate Franck Cook what challenges Armenia is
faced with today, Hovhanissyan said that for many years already
Turkey has been keeping Armenia in blockade and laying pre-conditions
for establishing diplomatic relations with it, which makes mutual
improvement impossible. Turkey and Armenia have never confronted in
the past. When Armenian forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territories and thretened to occupy Nahcivan province, Turkey closed
its borders with Armenia. Turkey was one of the states recognised
Armenia’s independence. Another problem is Armenian ‘genocide’
claims. Turkey does not see Armenian claims as a pre-condition to
restore diplomatic relations. Ankara offered to establish a joint
commission to discuss the historical disputes, yet Armenia rejected
many times these offers. Armenian Constitution and some other documents
do not recognise Turkey’s national borders and some of the Armenian
politicians call Eastern Turkey as ‘Western Armenia’.

Armenia also does not recognise the Kars Treaty.