VARTAN OSKANIAN: "DO NOT DESTABILIZE THE COUNTRY"

A1+
[05:29 pm] 09 January, 2008

"Some forces attempt to destabilize the country to come to power. I
urge these forces to give up their intentions," Armenia’s Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian told a press conference today.

Vartan Oskanian stated that he considers "unacceptable" any efforts to
destabilize the situation to reach political goals. "The forces, which
strive to preserve power, or to come to power, should use exclusively
democratic tools and mechanisms," Vartan Oskanian stated. The Armenian
FM declined to divulge those forces. He only said that everything
should be done to conduct free, fair and transparent elections
in Armenia.

In reply to A1+’s question whether the opposition can rig the election
Vartan Oskanian said, "Surely, they can because if there is a wish
to take the track of fraud and destabilization, the mechanisms are
always found." He declined to speak of mechanisms and advised to turn
to the relevant bodies.

The Armenian FM is seriously concerned over the presidential election
since it is a major event for the country’s external policy. "I
don’t want Armenia to tarnish its reputation acquired after the 2007
parliamentary elections." He wants Armenia to conduct a better election
to raise the country’s international reputation.

Vartan Oskanian expressed confidence that if the presidential elections
are held at a higher level than the parliamentary elections of 2007
"the following 5 years will be years of upsurge for Armenia."

Vartan Oskanian also commented on Ter-Petrossian’s election programme
concerning Armenia’s foreign policy. The Minister is dissatisfied
with the programme. "I think the ex-president’s programme should
have included new political approaches and proposals since he used to
criticize our foreign policy. But we have found nothing new. There is
not a single new idea," the Minister says. If Levon Ter-Petrossian
did not criticize the government’s foreign policy, the expectations
for innovation would not be that great.

Speaking about the development of the peace process in 2007,
Mr. Oskanian noted that the parties managed to achieve certain
progress although a number of principles remain non-agreed. Vartan
Oskanian declared about the willingness of the Armenian side to
continue the negotiations based on the progress achieved, "in the
basis of which lies the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to
self-determination."

The Foreign Minister expressed the opinion that the settlement process
will be active in 2008.

The OSCE Minsk Group CO-Chairs will visit the region to get acquainted
with the conflicting sides’ stance on the new proposals. Vartan
Oskanian says Armenia has a lot to say in this connection, but he
declined to say whether Armenia’s stance is positive or negative.

Armenia will express its stance during the co-chairs’ regional visit
in January. Vartan Oskanian declined to mention the exact date of the
visit, noting that the preliminary date of the visit on January 14-15
is not convenient for Armenia and they will let the co-chairs know.

Armenia will mark the 20th anniversary of the Armenian massacres in
the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait. Vartan Oskanian noted that Sumgait
is highly important because it is closely connected with the Karabakh
conflict. The military component of the Karabakh conflict settlement
originated in Sumgait. The first attempt of ethnic cleansings took
place there, and led the people of Karabakh to the irreversibility
of the idea of self-determination. The Armenian FM urged NGOs to
contemplate over the issue more seriously.