KOCHARIAN SUMMARIZED HIS VISIT TO EUROPE IN INTERVIEW TO "NEW EUROPE"
By Marietta Khachatrian
AZG Armenian Daily
16/10/2007
On October 9-12 President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian
was on an official visit to the center of the EU, Brussels. The visit
was aimed at discussing the implementation of European Neighborhood
Action Plan in Armenia, which has been running for already 3 months,
and the perspectives of enhancement Armenia-EU processes.
On October 11 President Kocharian gave an interview to the "New
Europe" newspaper. Answering the question whether the adoption of
Res.106 would increase the tension in South Caucasus, he answered
that establishment of justice and restoration of the historical truth
cannot cause any difficulties.
Commenting on the relations between Armenia and Turkey in general,
Robert Kocharian said, "We never addressed the EU with demands
to oppress Turkey. When we are asked what we need to improve
our relations with Turkey, we answer that first of all we need to
establish normal diplomatic relations and to open the border without
any precondition. Discussions of such kind were rather hot when the
question of Turkey’s membership in the EU just rose. At that time we
only demanded no preferences to be given to any country preparing to
enter the EU. That is all, we did not speak against Turkey."
The Armenian President also told the "New Europe" reporter that
after the ratification of Armenia-EU action plan, Armenia’s relations
with that European structure became more systematic and distinct. He
emphasized the economic and juristic reforms, improvement of trade
and simplification of visa regime, implied by the action plan. Robert
Kocharian confessed that there is till much to do in Armenia until
all those improvements can be fully put into practice. He added that
Armenia has overcome the first round of reforms and is now on the
way of steady development.
Commenting on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh Robert Kocharian
repeated his answer to Xavier Solana, "I see no perspective of
resolution of the conflict in the near future". He said that although
the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan go on and certain
progress was maid on several points of the agreement, Azerbaijan’s
frankness is hard to believe, taking into consideration the processes
inside Azerbaijan and the hysteric anti-Armenian propaganda.