SERZH SARGSYAN HAS NO CLEAR-CUT FOREIGN POLICY CONCEPTION, ANDRANIK TEVANIAN CONSIDERS
Noyan Tapan
Nov 12, 2008
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
has no clear-cut conception of foreign policy: his every step serves
a single purpose, to retain his own power. Political scientist
Andranik Tevanian, the Director of the Politeconomia Institute of
Political Studies, expressed such an opinion at the November 12 press
conference. According to him, it is the issue of retaining the power
that makes Serzh Sargsyan make contradictory statements: for instance,
at first he agrees to creation of an Armenian-Turkish commission
of historians, then speaks categorically against it. President’s
statements on Nagorno Karabakh settlement are also contradictory:
at first he said that Azerbaijan should make investments in Karabakh
and maybe after it residents of Karabakh will wish to live in the
country making part of Azerbaijan, then he stated that Karabakh will
never make part of Azerbaijan.
Besides keeping the power, according to the political scientist,
S. Sargsyan has the problem of opening the Armenian-Turkish border
at any price. By doing so, according to A. Tevanian, he will deliver
a strong blow to the radical opposition, as the latter’s program
attaches much importance to normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations. Touching upon Turkish President’s visit to Yerevan,
A. Tevanian stated that Armenia gained nothing from it: only Turkey and
RA President gained. The latter, according to political scientist’s
observation, gained some elements of legitimacy in the eyes of
the world.