PanARMENIAN.Net
Kocharian: Armenia Not Going to Join NATO
22.04.2006 19:52 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Armenia is not going to join the
NATO,” Armenian President Robert Kocharian said, when
answering a question of the Golos Armenii. He stated
it in response to the newspaper’s request to comment
on Armenian Speaker Artur Baghdassaryan’s statement to
the Frankfurter Allgemaine that “EU and NATO are the
future of Armenia” and “Russia should not be on the
way to the Europe.” Commenting on the statement
Kocharian said, “Armenia’s foreign policy line remains
unchanged. Within the NATO-Armenia Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) our country is
expanding the cooperation with the North-Atlantic
Alliance, as a key European security organization. We
expect effective cooperation, especially in reform of
the Armed Forces and peacekeeping. However, Armenia is
not going to join the NATO. Participation in the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the
high level of military and technical cooperation with
Russia properly solve security issues.” In the words
of the Armenian leader, today Armenia prepares to
closer cooperation with the EU within the European
Neighborhood Policy (ENP), however does not formulate
the question of accession to the EU. “Euro-Atlantic
ambitions of Armenia are balanced, realistic, are
positively taken by European structures and do not
form problems in relations with Russia. We declare the
same position in Moscow, Brussels and Washington,” the
Armenian President said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
