PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-10) 52-35-31
Email: information@armeniaForeignMinistry.com
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THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO POLITICAL EXPLOITATION OF PRINCIPLES

I’ve been following our press for the last two days, and I’d like to
respond to those expressions which have appeared regarding my statement
that the Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railroad can’t result in Armenia’s
isolation and can’t cause additional injury to Armenia’s economy.

I have great respect toward the members of our press corps and I know that
they are neither inattentive nor naïve, and that they cannot not see the
most obvious realities. Nevertheless, those defeatist attitudes which
appeared in our press and in various public statements, truly surprised
me.

I understand that there are `objective’ reasons for these expressions. A
difficult election campaign awaits us, and each grouping is attempting to
acquire a piece of the pie, by exploiting various issues at all
appropriate and inappropriate opportunities, often, in my opinion, coming
up against our own national interests. In this context, I understand the
motivation, but I can’t justify it. Because we’re talking about elections,
efforts are made to plant such attitudes in the broadest possible
electoral field. This is what I think is dangerous and this is exactly
what our adversaries desire.

In criticizing my assessment that even when this rail line becomes
operational, Armenia will not face any new problems, my critics do not
present any evidence. Let’s evaluate the situation together. What
additional problems could the Kars-Akhalkalak line create?

The reality is that if we take into consideration the economic conditions
which exist today and which have existed for the last 15 years, then it’s
obvious that this new railroad can’t be additionally damaging to Armenia’s
economy. If the existing Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi rail line were operating, and
this new railroad came to supplant it, or to run in parallel to it, then
yes, we could say that this new railroad would have adverse affects on
Armenia’s economy. However, that’s clearly not the case.

This criticism would also have been acceptable if the Armenian-Turkish
border were closed because of Armenia, or the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railroad
did not work, because of Armenia, or if Armenia insisted on preconditions
to normalizing relations with Turkey.

However, that’s clearly not the case, either. Today, the border is closed
because of Turkey and because the Armenian side refuses to comply with
Turkey’s demands. All those who insist that the gas pipeline or the oil
pipeline or the railroad could have gone thru Armenia, should have known
full well that that would have been possible only by relinquishing our
rights regarding certain issues which constitute our national interest and
a national value. That is the price we would have had to pay; yet we
haven’t.

That is the political situation, and it is not possible to ignore that
truth and to irresponsibly insist that in this political atmosphere,
things could have been otherwise.

Those experts and organizations which have assessed this rail project have
said and continue to say that it is not economically sound and at the same
time, politically, it endangers regional cooperation. The decisions by
the US, the EU and other countries not to provide government assistance to
this project reflect these assessments.

We, too, consider this project to be, above all, a political project,
aimed, yet again, at bringing additional pressure to bear on Armenia and
attempting to secure certain concessions. In this context, this project
can create further complications in an already complex region.

The experience of these past years should have been sufficient for our
adversaries to understand that it is not possible to use such steps and
such language with Armenia, particularly regarding the Nagorno Karabakh
issue. There are matters which are non-negotiable values for us. We have
repeated frequently, and today, too, I will disappoint Azerbaijan and
those who support it by saying: Karabakh is not a tradeable commodity for
Armenians. From this perspective, Karabakh was not negotiable during the
Baku-Ceyhan discussions, nor during the Baku-Akhalkalak-Kars discussions,
and will not be negotiable at any time in the future.

Our approach is different. We believe that as regional cooperation deepens
and includes all the countries of the region, then existing regional
tensions will weaken, it will fuel greater reciprocal trust, and
strengthen linkages. All this, taken together will create an environment
so different from today’s that the many complex political issues facing us
will find a resolution. This is not just a policy, but the guideline for
the work that we do every day.

What concerns me is not the political exploitation so much as its
consequence – the defeatism being sown in our people. What we have today
is not Armenia’s isolation. What we have is two neighboring countries who
are willfully attempting to isolate Armenia. And, in spite of such
efforts, we have an Armenia that is active – in some cases even more than
those same neighbors – in every international organization from EU, to
Council of Europe, the CIS, NATO, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and
other international organizations. Where is the isolation? It’s time to
put an end to this willful self-deception.

Don’t judge Armenia by what Turkey and Azerbaijan do. Judge Armenia by
what we do, by our own resources and opportunities.

We are faced with many foreign and domestic challenges, and we all know
well where they come from. To overcome them, it is essential that we
consider issues sensibly, assess the situation and the opportunities
accurately, demonstrate firm will, confidence and unity.

Vartan Oskanian
09 February 2007

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress