YEREVAN RULES OUT ABKHAZIA, S.OSSETIA RECOGNITION

Civil Georgia
Sept 4 2008
Georgia

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian criticized Georgia for trying to
resolve the South Ossetian conflict with force, but said Yerevan had
no intention of recognizing the two breakaway regions.

"Today one sometimes wonders why Armenia doesn’t recognize the
independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," RFE/RL Armenian service
quoted Sarkisian as saying at an annual meeting with Armenian diplomats
on September 3. "The answer is simple: for the same reason that it
did not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Having the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Armenia can not recognize another entity in the same
situation as long as it has not recognized the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic."

"Naturally, we are interested in a rapid and peaceful resolution of
Georgia’s problems and the establishment of lasting peace there,"
he added. Landlocked Armenia carries out 70% of its foreign trade
via Georgia.

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), which also includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A CSTO leaders summit will be opened in
Moscow on September 5, with South Ossetia and Abkhazia expected to
be high on the agenda.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress