Month: June 2017

“Armenia will sooner or later join NATO,” says Davit Shahnazaryan, Senior Analyst at Regional Studies Center. He adds that the regional processes lead to membership, “In current geopolitical instable situation, the question of withdrawing from the CSTO or the Eurasian Union is out of question. But NATO is expanding, moreover NATO isn’t expanding itself, but the neighboring countries of NATO lead a policy so that NATO expands.”

The political expert notes that Turkey is already a member of NATO, and Georgia is directly moving towards NATO. Armenia simply has no alternative, “I don’t think that the CIS has chances to expand, vice versa, it seems that we have no partners in the CIS, except legally established partner- Russia. CIS is a club of countries having relations with Russia.”

Mr Shahnazryan cannot predict when Armenia will join NATO. Boris Navasardyan, Head of Yerevan Press Club, has difficulty even in predicting whether Armenia’s membership is possible or not, “I am not Vanga, anyway.”

The current developments in the region, according to Mr Navasardyan, make the predictions on Armenia’s possible membership even more difficult. But in all cases Armenia is attractive for NATO at least as a threat, “For NATO any region, which has a border or is close to NATO member states, is a potential threat or a country, nation, territory having a solution to potential security issue, and Armenia is not an exception, taking into account that there is fire very close to us and at any moment Armenia’s role may be important.”

Armenia can use NATO as a platform for discussing concerning issues, says William Lahue, NATO representative in the South Caucasus, “Every time, when Armenia goes to NATO, it speaks of Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Turkey and tries to convince member states of the alliance of Armenia’s viewpoints. Consequently it is an important platform for Armenia.”

By the way, touching upon the participation of servicemen from NATO member state Turkey in April War in support of Azerbaijan, representative of NATO Magnus Eyjolfsson noted that everything which NATO 29 member states do within the frames of independent politics, isn’t business of NATO.

The issue of closure of OSCE Yerevan Office is being discussed in Vienna.

OSCE Minsk Group French Co-Chair Stephane Visconti said in an interview with “Artsakhpress”.

The newly-elected President of France Emmanuel Macron got acquainted with the situation.

“It is a pleasure for me to be in Artsakh and get acquainted with the situation. We attach great importance to issues relating to security and peaceful settlement process. France, US and Russia make all efforts to record progress on this issue”, the French Co-Chair said.

For the construction of new stations of metro, economist, publicist Suren Sargsyan offers to establish a foundation called “Yerevan Metro”. He knows where from to find money.

He offers to direct one part of fines paid by drivers to the implementation of that project. Suren Sargsyan thinks that the state should also participate in the financing.

The speaker proposes to name still unused two stations of Ajapnyak after Charles Aznavour and Kirk Kerkorian, which will attract investments from the Diaspora.

Former Head Architect of Yerevan, Professor Gurgen Musheghyan reminded that it was planned beforehand that Yerevan would have 47 km long metro having 36 stations, yet today Yerevan metro is 12 km long having 10 stations.

According to former Head Architect of Yerevan, one metro station with all the conveniences will cost EUR 150 million, and for finishing the incomplete stations EUR 50 million is necessary.

Today’s speakers also noted that development of metro isn’t beneficial also for bus line owners, as they get large incomes.

The information periodically disseminated by the Azerbaijani media outlets as if allegedly the Armenian units set fire to the territories close to Bash-Karvend, Bayramlar and Kengerli settlements of Aghdam region, doesn’t correspond to reality and is a primitive propaganda means to mislead its own and international community.

What’s more, harvest gathering had already ended in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis set fire to their territories, as a result of which very often fire reaches the neutral zone between the opposing forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

AR MoD

On 12 June Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov (Russian Federation), Stephane Visconti (France) and Richard Hoagland (USA), personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk and officials accompanying them.

Issues related to the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict settlement and situation along the borders between Artsakh and Azerbaijani were on the discussion agenda.

President Sahakyan drew the attention of the co-chairs to the destructive policy of Azerbaijan, numerous facts of breaches and violations of the ceasefire regime, international norms and principles, qualifying them as the most important hindrances of the conflict settlement process and serious threats for maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Artsakh Republic President reiterated adherence of the official Stepanakert to the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Central Information Department of the Office of the ARTSAKH REPUBLIC President