Lragir, Armenia
Dec 1 2006

WHO APPOINTED ARMEN SMBATYAN

After the murder of 6 citizens of Armenia in Russia the ambassador of
Armenia to Russia Armen Smbatyan graded the relations between the two
countries as excellent. Is this the official stance of Armenia or the
personal opinion of the ambassador? If this is the personal opinion
of the ambassador, how should such an ambassador be assessed? We
asked these questions to the minister of foreign affairs of Armenia
Vardan Oskanyan.

According to him, it is possible that the ambassador generalized.
`Our relations with Russia are really very good, profound and
strategic,’ stated Vardan Oskanyan. According to the foreign minister
of Armenia, these murders are painful, but it is a serious problem
and worries not only Armenia but also Russia, because not only
Armenians are killed. `This is a problem that must worry Russia, and
the Russian government needs to make very serious efforts to prevent
this, otherwise it may aggravate.’ This adds another question,
another concern to the agenda of our relations, but it does not
impact the Armenian and Russian relations, it is not an obstacle in
the two-party relations, Vardan Oskanyan says.

If problems and concerns occur, why Armen Smbatyan, who lacks
diplomatic experience, is not replaced by a more experienced
diplomat? Vardan Oskanyan declined to answer our question. However,
the answer is clear – the president of Armenia appoints ambassadors
of Armenia. The uncle of Armen Smbatyan’s wife is the head of the
Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography of the Russian
Federation, and has connections in the Kremlin. Our sources say that
the Kremlin has `facilitated’ the appointment of Armen Smbatyan.