President Serzh Sargsyan, who has paid a working visit to the Russian Federation, today took part in the joint summit of BRICS, EAEU and SCO leaders in Ufa. The Armenian president delivered a statement.

Statement by President Serzh Sargsyan at the Ufa Summit

Distinguished Heads of States and Governments,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to thank the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for setting up forum, and for the warm hospitality extended to us.

I welcome the initiative of holding a meeting in this format.

The economic, political and cultural diversity, prospects and potential of the nations represented here lay solid ground for the pursuit of solutions to the most acute issues concerning international and regional security.

In our view, interaction at the junction of the BRICS-EAEU-SCO lies in our shared interests in ensuring complementarity and mutually beneficial development of those integration processes.

We hold that in order to implement this idea effectively, it is necessary to match the potential capacities of our integration units and implement major joint projects in various areas through the engagement of the financial institutes for development established by our respective organizations. Efficient coordination of the activities of various financial institutes could help to significantly increase the investment inflows into the nations with developing economies present here, which in its turn would result in their sustainable economic growth.

Conjugation of the Eurasian integration and Silk Road Economic Belt initiative can become a practical example to that effect, both of which can harmoniously interact and ensure a new stage for the implementation of the extensive infrastructure and transport projects in future.

In the Armenian case, construction of the railroad connecting Armenia to Iran might be such a project, which would provide the EAEU nations with the direct access to the Indian Ocean through the Persian Gulf. The Feasibility Study has already been prepared, and the Project is open to Public Private Partnerships. We hope that companies from the countries present here will display interest toward this Project.

Availing myself of this opportunity, I would also like to express hope that success would crown negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file, which in its turn will strengthen both international and regional security and stability, as well as open up new opportunities for the economic cooperation. Armenia, as a friend and good neighbor of Iran, really want it.

Distinguished colleagues,

The organizations represented here have also focused their attention on the issues of global and regional security, such as the fight against terrorism, drug threat, organized crime, as well as conflict resolution.

We deem it necessary to consolidate our efforts in order to prevent conflicts, to settle the existing conflicts solely by peaceful means in the framework of the agreed formats and taking into account interests of all conflicting parties. We also call for the development of the effective collective mechanisms to respond and counter the abovementioned challenges.

We are convinced that dialogue, based upon the indivisibility of security, and cooperation between various integration unions could have positively contributed to shaping our shared space without any dividing lines, and to the benefit of all States. Execution of such a large-scale mission is, obviously, possible only through the rule of international law, respect toward the aims and principles of the UN Charter, maintenance of the rules of a game agreed by all actors, inadmissibility of direct or indirect violation of those rules, selective justice, practice of unilateral sanctions, such as blockade and other restrictive measures.

Armenia reiterates its readiness to take part in such a dialogue in different formats in order to exchange best practices and explore the avenues to safeguard harmonious, mutually reinforcing and beneficial development of integration processes in full respect toward each other’s interests.

This is exactly the approach that is at the core of our intention to systemize interaction with the SCO, to which we filed an application for the status of Observer State back in May 2012.

Distinguished Heads of States and Governments,

We share the interest in the development of the multifaceted cooperation, consolidation of confidence and mutual understanding. It is important for us to be able to establish an efficient toolbox for mutually beneficial cooperation both at the levels of States and people-to-people contacts, Track II diplomacy, as well as the business circles of our nations.

I thank you for your attention.