THANKS TO NEXT ELECTIONS WE SHOULD PLACE ARMENIA ON A NEW LEVEL,
VARTAN OSKANIAN SAYS
YEREVAN, JULY 14, NOYAN TAPAN – AEMENIANS TODAY. "The statements
said by us have never gone against the content of the negotiations,
we have never contradicted the spirit of the negotiations and
speaking about the territories, we ran risks. Azerbaijan’s problem
is that it does not want to run risks and to speak about Nagorno
Karabakh’s self-determination, which is one of the pivotal issues
in the negotiations process," RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
declared at the July 14 press conference.
As for the NKR leadership’s position towards the proposed frame
agreement, the Minister declared: "NKR does not take a direct part
in the negotiations on the discussion of this document, but the NKR
authorities in the person of the President and Prime Minister have
been informed about the document’s content. I cannot say that they
expressed consent to each step, but they were aware of Armenian side’s
actions in the negotiations. I think, at large, the principles stated
in the document are acceptable for the Armenian side."
In connection with confrontation to Azerbaijan in the respect of
economic development, Vartan Oskanian said that Armenia has one way
of struggling against Azerbaijan having oil: this is utmost effective
use of the existing resources, namely, internal resources, those
of the Diaspora and international resources and it is necessary to
actively work in all these three directions. He assured that in the
respect of democratic reforms Armenia occupies leading positions in the
region. As for the fact that no fair elections have been held in the
recent years in the country, the Minister said: "I think our people
will be more resolute. Thanks to the next elections we should place
our country on a new level. Our problem is not what political force
will come to power but what problems we will solve in the near future."
As regards rumours about his possible nomination to the post of the
President in 2008, Vartan Oskanian answered: "I think I can still
take part in processes of building statehood, but what manifestations
this participation will have, I cannot say at the moment and I am not
thinking about it for the present." According to him, at present all
his efforts are concentrated on his work, as he has really serious
things to do: the forthcoming Armenia-Diaspora forum, the Nagorno
Karabakh problem, issues relating to foreign policy.