EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT

Lragir
Jan 9 2008
Armenia

On January 9 the Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan summed up
the year 2007, naturally in terms of the activities of his ministry.

The foreign minister evaluated the year as productive, which had been
expected. According to Vardan Oskanyan, Armenia has done productive
work regarding international, regional, bilateral relations and
relations with the Diaspora. Vardan Oskanyan evaluates foreign
policies as successful, adding that no regress was reported. There
are no results with regard to the relations with Turkey, although
Armenia remains willing and interested in improving relations with this
country. Even with regard to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict
Vardan Oskanyan says little but progress was reported in 2007. The
progressive thing is that the document on the table of negotiations
is the right of the people of Karabakh for self-determination. Vardan
Oskanyan is hopeful that the talks based on this document will continue
in 2008.

In this connection, the foreign minister mentioned that there will
be activity in the talks on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Vardan Oskanyan says there will be a new president, new expectations,
and more activity in the negotiations.

In 2008 the regional projects which Armenia has successfully
accomplished or launched also promise a breakthrough in the foreign
policies. The accomplished projects are not many, the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline which is not ready because the part of the pipeline
running through Armenia will be ready in 2008. The other projects – the
railway to Iran, an Armenian-Russian-Iranian oil refinery, production
of uranium together with Russia – have been shifted from discussions
to practical activities, their economic feasibility has been assessed,
and the foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan says there will be effective
moves towards the implementation of those projects in 2008.

In April 2008 Armenia will take part in the NATO summit in Bucharest
where the partners of this organization are also invited. In the middle
of the year Armenia will take up the chairmanship of the Collective
Security Pact Organization, and from fall Armenia will take up the
chairmanship of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.

Among international processes Vardan Oskanyan emphasizes the problem
of Kosovo, saying that developments related to this problem are
expected, and Armenia should track those developments attentively
because it is an opportunity for more experience. It is clear that the
Karabakh conflict is concerned. In this connection Vardan Oskanyan
says although Armenia continues to think that each conflict is
different, it is evident that Kosovo and Karabakh have gone the same
way of self-determination, with the same start of ethnic cleansings,
and what NATO prevented in Kosovo, in Karabakh was prevented by the
Armenian volunteers. With regard to the common way, Vardan Oskanyan
thinks the international community cannot demand restoration of the
former status of Kosovo, and consider restoration of the former status
of Karabakh as possible.