REGIONAL COOPERATION MUST BE CONSIDERED AS MEANS FOR CREATING CONFIDENCE, ROBERT KOCHARIAN MENTIONS

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 17 2006

BERLIN, NOVEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia intends to develop the
effective cooperation with the European Commission and strengthen
bilateral ties with the European Union member countries. RA President
Robert Kocharian said about it during his November 16 speech in Berlin,
at the Bertelsmann Foundation. In his words, it will permit to secure
an intensive political dialogue, a bigger volume of trade, activization
of social and public mutual cooperation, greater involvement of mutual
safety. "We expect Germany’s assistance and cooperation within this
new framework," R.Kocharian said.

In the RA President’s words, Armenia’s entering the Council of Europe
5 years ago created basis for legislative reforms and foundation of
institutes. Membership to the World Trade Organization allowed to
have a quicker and more interested transition to liberal economy.

"Thinking about continuing the reforms, we consider the European
Neighbourhood Policy as a new standard. The Actions Plan recently
signed in Brussels, as we see it, is the new guideline of reforms,"
he said.

In the RA President’s words, Armenia has mainly formed its foreign
policy for years based on the idea of deriving benefit from combining
interests and not on speculation of disagreements existing in our
region. "It permitted us to combine wonderful relations with Russia,
the European Union, U.S. and Iran. It is also an important part
of transfiguring of our country and society. For dozens of years,
living in the Soviet Union, we have been tought to see the world as
black and white, enemy and friend," R.Kocharian said, adding that
the complementarity policy relates to our security model as well.

"Armenia is an active member of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization, and at the same time it fixed a considerable progress in
the NATO cooperation sphere. The Individual Partnership Actions Plan
was affirmed, laying down the foundation for long-term institutional
cooperation," he mentioned.

"Our vision of the future of Armenia is a prosperous country in
stable friendly surroundings," the RA President said. He mentioned
with pain that Armenia has no relations with two of its four direct
neighbours. We have kept good-neighbourly relations with Georgia
for centuries, and we hope that the tension started recently between
Russia and Georgia will be settled soon," the RA President said. At
the same time he estimated as active and stable Armenia’s cooperation
with Iran, mentioning that the two countries mutually cooperate in
many spheres and have started significant infrastructure programs.

In contrast to all these, R.Kocharian mentioned that our another
important neighbour, Turkey, keeps the border of Armenia close. "We
even have no diplomatic relations with that country. We think that
being a NATO member and having striving for membership to the European
Union, Turkey must carry out more positive policy in the region." In
the RA President’s words, Armenia proposed to establish diplomatic
relations many times, and that proposal is still in force.

"We believe that neighbouring countries must built their relations
without preconditions, and more, without conditioning them with third
country’s demands," he said.

In R.Kocharian’s words, Armenia attaches great importance to the
regional cooperation. "We believe that settlement of conflicts
must not be considered itself as a precondition for establishing a
dialogue and cooperation. On the contrary, the regional cooperation
must be considered as means for creating confidence which is aimed to
settlement of existing disagreements. It is obvious that unsettled
conflicts hinder from the process of normal development of South
Caucasus," the RA President emphasized in his speech.