IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE AS COUNTERACTION
Marlena Hovsepyan

"Radiolur"
20.03.2007 15:36

Construction of the Iran-Armenian gas pipeline is our response to
the attempts of tour neighbours to isolate the country from regional
projects, Head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau’s
Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office Kiro Manoyan considers. Speaking
about reference to Nagorno Karabakh as an occupied territory of
Azerbaijan in the latest Human Rights Report of the US Department
of State, Mr. Manoyan said it is an additional lever of pressure on
Armenia prior to elections.

According to the speaker, the political and geopolitical importance
of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline is an opportunity to move forward
and a response to the attempt of our neighbours to isolate Armenia
from regional projects.

What can be the influence of the pipeline’s operation on
Armenian-American relations? Kiro Manoyan mentions that the United
States is interested in increasing its influence in the region,
simultaneously preventing the possible influence of Russia and
Iran. Probably, that is the reason why the US tries to mediate and
solve the issue of the Armenian-Turkish border for the Armenian
side not to complain that under the blockade it has no one else to
cooperate with except for Iran.

The latest Human Rights Report of the US Department of State labels
Nagorno Karabakh as the occupied territory of Azerbaijan. Isn’t this
Armenia’s diplomatic failure?

"I consider this another lever of pressure for the American authorities
in this pre-election period. The American diplomats and the State
Department are teaching all of us. I think this is another expression
of this pressure," says Kiro Manoyan.

"Such abrupt position can question the impartiality of the United
States as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country," Mr. Manoyan added.

"In regard to the propaganda on the Karabakh issue Armenia has yielded
its positions," says the speaker and clarifies that we demonstrate fair
approach and do not make an attempt to hamper the negotiations. On
the contrary, Azerbaijan is attempting to prevent the negotiations
in the OSCE Minsk Group framework in every possible way. Elections
expected in Armenia, Azerbaijan, the US and Russia will protract the
talks. Therefore, the Armenian side should struggle via propaganda
as well. "We must not simply counteract," Kiro Manoyan concluded.