ArmInfo.. The visit of RA Foreign Minister to Egypt, undoubtedly, had a regional significance, first of all, given the importance of Egypt, in the Arab world and as well as in the Middle East and North Africa. Karen Veranyan an expert of the ORBELI Analytical- Research Center, expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo, commenting on the visit of Armenia's Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to Egypt on September 12 to Sep.15.
"Cairo today plays a very important role in the anti-terrorist struggle at the regional level and in ensuring regional stability and security. In particular, Egypt is seriously involved in the process of containing and countering Turkey's efforts to violate this very stability," he stressed.
Noting the recent statement of the Egyptian leadership about its readiness to create an anti-Turkish coalition, Veranyan noted that Armenia should not remain indifferent to the events in the Middle East and the regions bordering with it. First of all, taking into account their impact, including on the security of Armenia.
"The fact is that the successful containment of Turkey in the Middle East will substantially neutralize possible threats from Ankara and in the direction of the South Caucasus. In this light, Armenia should act as the one that dictates its position in the region.And this applies not only to our foreign policy vector, but also to the defense strategy of Armenia, "the expert is convinced.
In general, Veranyan assesses such a maximalist mission of Armenia as fully proceeding from the principle of the Armenian foreign policy to ensure regional stability and security. In this light, the visit of the Armenian Minister to Cairo looked quite significant. Moreover, it is a good opportunity to make the process of implementing the agenda formed between Yerevan and Cairo more effective.
To note, ArmInfo political analysts have observed a noticeable strengthening of the Middle East vector of Armenian foreign policy in general over the past 2 years. And this is against the background of the long- ripening need for a qualitative breakthrough in relations with Egypt. In this light, the Egyptian voyage of the Armenian Minister promises to be an important milestone in the further development of cooperation with one of the key countries of the Arab world.
Further strengthening of relations with Egypt is an extremely demanded and urgent idea for Armenia, once again against the background of the Middle East situation and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt today is consistently forming an anti-Turkish alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying, together with Greece and Cyprus, to discourage Turkey's appetite for the territorial maritime belt of its neighbors. The quite noticeable Turkish appetites in the Caucasian direction, in particular, Ankara's desire to increase its own role in the Karabakh settlement, add urgency and the need for capitalization to the union of Armenia with Egypt.