ISSUE OF JOINING NATO NOT ON AGENDA OF ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The issue of joining the NATO is
not on the political agenda of Armenia. The Armenian president
Robert Kocharian stated this in response to a Greek reporter’s
question during the June 26 joint press conference with his Greek
counterpart. In R. Kocharian’s words, joining some military bloc
should first of all pursue an important goal – that of enhancing the
country’s security. In the opinion of R. Kocharian, Armenia’s joining
NATO would cause some additional, quite serious problems and make
the country’s less protected.

At the same time the Armenian president said that Armenia intends to
increase its cooperation with NATO: particularly, measures envisaged by
the Idividual Partnership Action Plan are now being implemented. In the
opinion of R. Kocharian, the format used by Armenia in the defence and
security sphere is the most optimum one for the country’s interests.