NATO IS READY TO HELP WITH THE KARABAKH PROBLEM
by Viktoria Panfilova

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 18, 2006 Wednesday

The Alliance is sending an envoy to the Caucasus

Armenia Became Robert Simmons’ Last Stop On The Tour Of The Caucasus;
NATO opened an information center in Armenia.

NATO is ready to help with efforts to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem. "Straightforward assistance in conflict resolution is not
NATO’s task. This is a prerogative of the OSCE Minsk Group, and we are
but supporting the process," Robert Simmons, NATO General Secretary’s
Envoy for the Caucasus and Central Asia, said in Yerevan on October 12.

NATO has a special interest in Armenia. A NATO information center
was hastily opened in the capital of Armenia in honor of Simmons’
arrival. It will begin working on November 1. Establishment of such
a center is stipulated by the IPAP (Individual Partnership Action
Plan). "Opening of the center means that the relations between
Armenia and NATO develop at a good pace. We appreciate assistance
given us by the government of Armenia," Simmons said at the opening
ceremony. Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosjan praised the
bilateral cooperation and announced "advancement to a new level of
relations with the Alliance."

The NATO information center is to be financed by the government of
Armenia; the Alliance itself will only provide information. The center
is expected to keep the population informed of the activities of NATO
to facilitate rapprochement between Armenia and the Alliance.

Simmons’ offer of assistance in the Karabakh problem was not
surprising. The Alliance and the United States as it is have been
trying to take over for a long time now. An emphasis is made on the
inability of the OSCE Minsk Group to make progress. The authorities
of Armenia regularly point out, however, that Armenia does not aspire
for membership in NATO and that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only
efficient go-between.