ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Dec 1 2006

VARDAN OSKANYAN TO LEAVE FOREIGN MINISTERSHIP AFTER THE ELECTIONS

Vardan Oskanyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, intends to
leave the position after the elections. The Foreign Minister
announced it at the press conference today. Touching upon the 2007
parliamentary and 2008 presidential elections, the Foreign Minister
said that the new parliament and the new president will have their
own – other views on foreign politics. V. Oskanyan said that even if
he were proposed to stay on the position most likely he will reject
it.

"I think the same person shouldn’t hold one position for more than 10
years. It is the maximum. New strength and new thinking is needed",
the Foreign Minister pointed out. He said the new President should be
guided by some realities – in the global, regional and local aspects.
These realities are too obvious and there is "no too rich a palette"
in this regard. Some accents might be slightly shifted, as it was
when Levon Ter-Petrosyan left and Robert Kocharyan took over the
Presidency. Accents were altered in regard of Turkey and Karabakh.
Only if attitudes of the new figures are radically different from the
old ones, big changes could be expected", V. Oskanyan pointed out. He
said that he doesn’t think of any drastic changes in the foreign
policy.

The Minister didn’t specify which elections did he mean as a starting
point of his withdrawal – parliamentary or presidential one.
Political scientists say he meant presidential election due to that
he received the Foreign Minister’s portfolio in 1998.