IS DASHNAKTSUTYUN TURNING TO RUSSIA?
Lragir.am
09-11-2007 15:01:36
"We think the Collective Security Pact is the most effective
organization in the CIS, where Armenia has an opportunity to protect
its national interests," stated Yuri Navoyan, head of the Armenian
National Committee of Moscow on November 9. He and several Russia-based
NGOs have initiated an international conference in Yerevan devoted
to the CSP organization.
Experts of international organizations, including the United Nations,
Russian civil society activists, political scientists are taking part
in the conference. The conference proposes creating a CPS information
center in Armenia. Yuri Navoyan thinks such centers are necessary for
other CIS countries to raise public awareness of the CSP organization.
In answer to the question of Lragir.am how the CSP organization can
be the most effective organization in terms of the national interests
of Armenia if Kazakhstan, another member of the Pact, often votes
for Azerbaijan which is not a member of the Pact rather than its
partner Armenia in international organizations, Yuri Navoyan says:
"You are right, indeed. It is a matter of further improvement of
the organization, and we also raise these issues, and I think it is
the most effective in the CIS space for Armenia because through this
organization Armenia sustains political and military cooperation with
Russia, along with interstate relations. This organization sustains
military and technical cooperation, let us not open the brackets,
you understand what I mean. And in this sense, yes, for the time
being it is the most effective organization for us."
According to him, in order to eliminate the drawbacks "it is perhaps
advisable to set up contacts between societies, non-governmental
relations, to be aware of their problems."
"Otherwise, yes, it is nonsense when coordinated international activity
is set down in the pact but in different parliamentary assemblies,
in different organizations, Kazakhstan, for instance, and other states
sometimes vote against Armenia or other members," Yuri Navoyan says.
Therefore, he thinks it is important to set up CSP information centers
in the CIS countries to raise awareness of this organization among
publics.
However, the question occurs whether Kazakhstan will vote for Armenia
after awareness rises.
"No, I did not mean that. First of all, you see I wouldn’t like to
discuss the Kazakh-Armenian relations, but is the society in Kazakhstan
aware of our problems and are we aware of the problems of Kazakhstan
or Central Asia? Simply we can convey through societies that the
security of Armenia is in direct correlation with the security of
the southern borders of Central Asia," Yuri Navoyan says.
He says the initiative of setting up an information center supposes
cooperation with the executive board of the CSP organization. We
have appealed to the executive secretary Nicolay Bordyuja, and he
met our request.