SAMVEL MKRTCHIAN: OUR COOPERATION WITH NATO IS A KEY COMPONENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
Azg/arm
11 Nov 04
NATO Secretary General was in Yerevan last week within the frameworks
of his regional visit. At the press conference followed after his
meeting with President Kocharian, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer mentioned
about Armenia-NATO cooperation within Individual Partnership Action
Plan. What kind of Plan is this and where did Yerevan-Brussels
relations reach? Armenian ambassador to NATO Samvel Mkrtchian answers
those questions in an interview to Azg Daily.
– Cooperation with international structures generally starts
with applying the so-called principle of “cover approach” when an
institution carries out similarly policy for all the states of a
region. At a certain stage of cooperation the institution needs to
specify the frames and contents of cooperation. Certainly, not all
countries agree on the terms and demands of some programs. And NATO
has collaborated a new program for cooperation and partnership which
is called Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). Now every state
engaged in Cooperation for Peace initiative within the frameworks
of IPAP may draw forward its suggestions. That means that a state
sets its priorities, evaluates its abilities and according to them
creates its own work program. If the opposite sides approves of the
program it may be put into action. We think of preparing the scheme
of our program by the end of this year and present it to NATO, after
which it will get approved and will be implemented.
РMr. Mkrtchian, Armenia̢~@~Ys accession to NATO is viewed as very
probable in near future, especially after Secretary Generaâ~@~Ys
visit. Is that possible that Armenia will some day declare, like
neighboring Azerbaijan and Georgia, of its desire to join NATO?
– In our political statements we were always clear and realistic,
as opposed to others, and now we declare that NATO membership is not
on our political agenda now. We hew to the chosen line in developing
our relations with NATO. How far will our relations reach â~@~S
is another issue. But we do not consider NATO membership a priority
so far because we are realistic about geopolitical issues that our
region is facing. We also take into consideration our readiness and
Organizationâ~@~Ys willingness to see us as a member. Today NATO
also is not hankering for Armeniaâ~@~Ys membership.
РDo you mean Armenia is not meeting NATO̢~@~Ys standards today? Is
that the reason why Armenia does not speak out about joining NATO?
РNo, that is not what I mean. It̢~@~Ys a very subtle issue. Our
cooperation with NATO is a key component for national security but
here we also have Russia and Organization of Joint Safety Treaty
supporting us, as well as separate states such as USA with which we
cooperate in the sphere of defense.
РAs an ambassador you are going to represent Armenia̢~@~Ys interests
in Brussels. What are the aims Armenia pursuits in NATO?
– NATO is a multifaceted organization. Today Armenia and NATO cooperate
in the sphere of extreme situation controlling. We also develop our
relations in the sphere of science. NATO implements two very important
projects in our region. First one is researching rivers of the region,
and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia will watch that the rivers are
not polluted. Second one is the project of virtual silk way through
which the 3 states will gain access to the Internet. Another primary
issue is secure regions safety by the help of NATO. The Organization
itself declares about this function and that becomes a precondition
for future development and prosperity. Development and deepening of
our cooperation will largely depend on the success of IPAP.
– NATO high officials are speaking well of Armenia lately. What is
the reason of NATOâ~@~Ys optimism?
РNATO representatives evaluate Armenia̢~@~Ys abilities and accuracy
very highly. Frankly speaking, NATO is interested in developing
relations with us as our cooperation is rather easy-going. Certainly,
there are limits to our abilities coming from general situation in
the region, including unsettled Karabakh conflict, that keep us back
fro taking additional steps. But our cooperation within the frameworks
of the possible is efficient and that attracts the opposite side.
By Tatoul Hakobian
–Boundary_(ID_b3+XNXQVxLCoqVUVRSGxdA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress