SERGE SARGSIAN: WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF WAR, MEANWHILE WE DO NOT WISH IT

Noyan Tapan
April 16, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Introducing on April 16 newly appointed
Minister Edward Nalbandian to the leading personnel of the RA Foreign
Ministry, RA President Serge Sargsian expressed confidence that not
only diplomats, but also a considerable part of society know the
newly appointed Minister, appreciate his activity and professional
skills. S. Sargsian expressed confidence that E. Nalbandian will be
able to reveal his abilities to the maximum extent and be useful to
the people on the new post.

He once more thanked Vardan Oskanian, who headed the Armenian
Foreign Ministry for ten years and presented Armenia properly and
with a dignity to the world in these years: from the UN tribune, at
international structures, in bilateral relations. S. Sargsian expressed
confidence that V. Oskanian’s experience and abilities will continue
being useful in the issue of solving the problems faced by the country.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA President’s Press Office,
taking the opportunity, S. Sargsian also touched upon some foreign
political issues.

He said that in the coming years the RA foreign policy,
keeping its complementary content, should become more active,
more initiating. According to him, Armenia should be able to be
more actively involved in international life, continue deepening
its relations with both friendly countries and with international
organizations. In this respect the President attached much importance
to creation of favorable conditions for peaceful and fair solution
of the Nagorno Karabakh problem.

Mentioning that Baku has some misunderstanding connected with
Azerbaijan’s petrodollars, raw materials resources, S. Sargsian said:
"We should account to ourselves, as well as explain to others that
it is not through the power of money that a state can be built, it is
not through the power of money that armed forces can be built. All of
you know that Armenia takes the 28th and Azerbaijan the 107th place
on the rating list of economic freedoms. This already is evidence
of something. According to specialists’ evaluations, Azerbaijan has
armed subdivisions and Armenia armed forces. And if Azeris think that
purely with dollars they will be able to make the army efficient in
a short time and to solve the Nagorno Karabakh problem by that army,
they are sadly mistaken. The fact of existence of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic is already irreversible," he emphasized.

According to S. Sargsian, Armenia has always assisted fulfilment of
the Nagorno Karabakh people’s self-determination right, the Republic
of Armenia is the guarantor of Nagorno Karabakh population’s security
and will continue that policy. "We wish the Nagorno Karabakh problem
to be solved peacefully.

We are not afraid of a war, meanwhile we do not wish it," he stressed.

Considering deepening of economic contacts with neighboring countries
as one of the most serious problems of foreign policy, S. Sargsian
said that though relations with many countries are at a high level,
the economic contacts are weak. "There is a great potential in that
issue and it should be used to the maximum extent," he said.

S. Sargsian attached a special importance to the work with the
Diaspora, more complete use of Diaspora’s potential. He also said that
the issue of international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide will remain on the agenda of Armenia’s foreign policy.