ARMENIA’S SURVIVAL DEPENDS UPON DELICATE DIPLOMACY

Gulf News
menia-s-survival-depends-upon-delicate-diplomacy-1 .628143
May 18 2010
UAE

In a region plagued with conflict, the tiny nation continues to reach
out in harmony

By Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor Published: 00:00 May 18, 2010

Yerevan Armenia, which changed hands throughout its long and troubled
history, has learnt that maintaining a "balanced" relationship with
all nations is essential to its survival.

On the ground, the smallest country in the region is in the heart of
an area marked by conflict.

Its northern neighbours Russia and Georgia are in conflict, yet both
have good relations with Yerevan.

To the south Armenia has a "pragmatic" relationship with Iran, which
is listed as one of Armenia’s best trade partners.

Yet Iran is in dispute with international community over its nuclear
programme.

Both Armenia’s eastern and western boundaries are closed because of
border disputes with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

"We are a small [country], and we want to have good relations with
our neighbours," Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister, Arman Kirakossian
said in the UAE recently.

"Keeping balance is number one priority for Armenia’s foreign policy.

"Keeping that balance is not only from today but from ancient times…

That is why we survived as a small nation."

Today, Armenia, which was once under the rule of the Ottoman Empire,
is eagerly awaiting the day its borders with Turkey will be opened.

Only then would Armenia start to think "larger and without boundaries",
Armenian officials said.

However, political problems needed to be overcome before normal
relations with its powerful western neighbour could begin.

"Our desire to normalise relations [with Turkey] remains a candid
one," Armenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Territorial
Administration Armen Gevorgyan said.

Late last month, Yerevan announced the "temporary suspension" of the
ratification of a peace accord with Turkey, in a move described by
many analysts as a political tactic designed to put more pressure on
Turkey to endorse the peace proposals.

Turkey responded by reinstating its commitment to the rapprochement
process.

The two countries agreed late last year to establish diplomatic
relations and to open their borders — closed since 1993 when Armenia
and Azerbaijan went to war over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Turkish-Armenian-signed protocols received the blessings of the
US, Europe and Russia.

But they are yet to be endorsed by their respective parliaments.

Many Armenians, mainly in the diaspora, have asked for Turkish
recognition of the killing of more than one million Armenians during
First World War, calling it "genocide".

But Turkey refuses to recognise the killings, saying the number has
been exaggerated and those who were killed died in warfare.

Until today, calling the killings genocide has appeared to be a
problem for other countries too, including the US.

Despite pressure from Armenian activists and lawmakers, US President
Barack Obama described the mass killings in his statement to mark
Armenian Remembrance Day on April 22, as "one of the worst atrocities
of the 20th century".

He stopped short of using the word "genocide".

Turkey, a key US ally, has warned that it would badly damage the two
countries’ relationship if the US government tried to "politicise
history".

Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Washington earlier this year after
the US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a nonbinding resolution
calling the killings "genocide".

"I don’t think someone is using this to pressure Turkey," Kirakossian
said.

Courageous and fair

However, some Arab analysts believe that the Western powers are
using the Turkish-Armenia issue as a pressure tool against Ankara,
especially after Turkey’s positions vis-a-vis Arab-Israeli peace
process were praised by many Arabs as "courageous and fair".

But at the same time, Kirakossian expressed hope that the international
community, including the US and the EU, could play a role in pushing
the peace process between Turkey and Armenia forward, describing
their role as "important".

Asked whether Armenia had its eyes on financial compensation from
Turkey at a later stage, Armenian parliamentary speaker Hovig
Aprahamian said: "I believe this is not an issue to be discussed at
the moment".

Surely, better relation with Armenia increases the chances of Turkey
being admitted to the European Union.

But it would equally benefit Armenia, since being open with Turkey
would give the country access to Turkey’s ports and larger markets.

Today, there are only chartered flights between Yerevan and the
Turkish capital of Ankara.

Yerevan, which has not put any conditions on its ratification of
the peace process with Turkey, has been blaming Ankara for putting
obstacles in the way.

Turkey has denied this.

Armenia rejected the Turkish request to link the ratification
of last year’s protocols with finding a peaceful solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue, with Turkish ally Azerbaijan.

Aprahamian stressed that his country was seeking "peaceful solution
to all problems in the region," including with Turkey and Azerbaijan
on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia, he said, was "ready for compromise, which means concessions
on both sides," on the disputed enclave.

Until then, the open borders with Georgia to the North and Iran to
the South would be some compensation to the closure of Armenia’s
West-East border closures with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The survival of the 19-year-old independent Republic of Armenia,
sandwiched between allies and rivals, hinges on adopting a delicately
balanced foreign policy.

To its north, Georgia and Russia, which were locked in a military
conflict in 2008, are important partners for Armenia.

Each accuses the other of starting the conflict, on August 7.

That day Georgia tried to retake control of South Ossetia following
a series of clashes.

Russian forces quickly repelled the assault and pushed into Georgia.

But after five days of war, a ceasefire was reached, and the Russian
troops pulled back, but maintain a military presence in both South
Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The conflict left thousands of people from both sides displaced.

It also put a stop to shipments of natural gas from Russia to Armenia
through Chechnya and then Georgia.

"More than 70 per cent of our transit goods go through Georgia’s
territories… It is a very important country [for Armenia], and we
are with peaceful settlement to their problem and we also try to play
the mediator because it is very important to open the routes between
Georgia and Russia," Kirakossian said.

While the former Soviet Union republic kept its strong bonds with
Moscow — a former foe of Washington — Armenia has been receiving
$1.8 billion in aid a year from the US since early 1993 according to
Freedom Support Act.

Russia today has a military base in Armenia, and its troops are
jointly patrolling the borders with both Iran and Turkey.

Washington’s diplomatic mission in Yerevan, according to some
Armenians, is significant — a sign that considerable attention is
being paid to the republic that had one of the first nuclear power
plants of the Soviet Union era.

Armenia also has good relations with Iran in various fields including
trade and tourism. But not in the nuclear field, Armenian officials
stressed.

"There is no cooperation with Tehran in the nuclear field," Armenian
Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said.

Even Kirakossian stressed, "Absolutely, there is no nuclear cooperation
with Iran".

"We have traditionally and always good and friendly, positive
relations with Iran and I think no one could object to cooperation
that is beneficial to the peoples [of two countries]," Gevorgyan said.

Iran had the right to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes,
as Armenia was doing, officials said in Yerevan.

But developing nuclear weapons was "unacceptable", since the region
was "fragile" and marked by conflict, officials said.

Imposing new economic sanctions on Iran — as Western powers are
currently discussing due to uncertainty about Tehran’s possible
nuclear ambitions — would constitute the "worst case scenario",
Gevorgyan said.

"We have interest in the settlement of this issue without further
tension," he said.

Western powers have accused Iran of planning to develop nuclear weapons
and not cooperating with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Passive

Tehran has denied the accusations and insists its programme is
non-military.

Debate over Iran’s nuclear programme, among other reasons, has led
to a tension in the Arab-Iranian relations.

However Armenia’s tendency towards good relations has been demonstrated
in Arab countries in both the Gulf and the Middle East — even Israel.

"We have diplomatic relations but Israel doesn’t have an embassy in
Armenia, the relations are in a very passive state. We have some
cooperation in agriculture and health fields, but nothing else,"
Kirakossian said.

Armenia’s good relations across the region can be attributed to the
country’s diaspora.

"Arabs, first of all in Syria receive Armenians in Deir Al Zor who came
from Ottoman Empire ruling in Turkey," Kirakossian said in reference
to the Armenians who arrived to Arab countries during and after the
First World War.

Apart from Syria, Armenians lived in Lebanon, Jordan and Occupied
Jerusalem and many moved to France, Canada and the US.