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Minister Oskanian Summarizes 2007 and Speaks of Expectations of 2008
Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian held his first press
conference of the new year. In what has become a tradition, he
summarized the global and regional political context of the previous
year and spoke about Armenia’s accomplishments and challenges.
He described the regional and international conditions within which
Armenia conducted its foreign policy.
In no particular order, Minister Oskanian pointed to the continuing
tension in Georgia-Russia relations and the resultant closed transport
routes, the strains in Russia-US relations, developments surrounding
the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, efforts at non-proliferation
of nuclear weapons, the continuing absence of relations between
Armenia and Turkey and the resultant closed borders, unresolved
conflicts in the region and beyond, especially in Kosovo, and the
greater activity of the GUAM countries, political and military
instability in neighboring regions — Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, energy related geopolitical struggles, and ongoing reforms
in international organizations.
He explained that despite the constrictions created by these
developments, Armenia succeeded in pursuing its foreign policy goals
productively because of two factors. The first is that the
long-established policy of complementarity remained effective. The
second factor which made it possible for Armenia to perform
effectively internationally during 2007 was the country’s enhanced
standing as a result of the parliamentary elections which received the
international community’s positive assessment.
Minister Oskanian summed up these significant developments in
Armenia’s foreign relations activities of 2007:
First, that in 1997 Armenia succeeded in sustaining its foreign policy
positions and there were no setbacks either in the form of
international documents or developments.
Despite the geopolitical challenges, it was possible to maintain
favorable conditions for Armenia’s continued double digit economic
growth.
Despite unfavorable developments in the region, peace and stability,
albeit fragile, was maintained in the region.
This was the year when projects of regional significance came to a
culmination: the major phase of the Armenia-Iran gas pipeline was
completed. Other significant projects moved from the conceptual phase
to planning such as the oil refinery, the railroad with Iran, uranium
extraction, and a new nuclear power plant.
The European direction entered a new phase as implementation of the
European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan began.
The US government’s Millennium Challenge Program commenced with the
first significant investment tranche.
Armenia has remained actively engaged in international organizations,
and worked to advance Armenia’s policies as well as reforms of those
organizations.
With traditional friends, Armenia not only maintained bilateral ties
but, in the region and beyond, also further developed and deepened
those ties.
Traditional programs and activities continued with the Diaspora, and
in particular, the 4th Pan Armenian Games were successfully
concluded. The new focus of Armenia-Diaspora relations was the Armenia
Fund’s Rural Development Program, born in the Foreign Ministry, and
around which Diaspora individuals and organizations are rallying.
Active cultural diplomacy efforts persisted, with the successful
culmination of the Armenia Year in France, Armenian Culture weeks in
Italy and Belarus, several exhibitions, as well as a vigorous effort
to raise in international forums the issue of Azerbaijan’s destruction
of cultural heritage on their territory.
Finally, there was continuing progress in the negotiations over
Nagorno Karabakh, but more significantly, important issues such as the
right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination were not
only reinforced in the negotiating document as a main element, but
also became part of the discourse in the international community.
Minister turned to expectations of 2008, citing the upcoming
presidential election as the primary event with foreign policy
implications. In case of good elections, he said, there will be
further enhancement of Armenia’s standing. If the opposite happens,
Armenia’s position will be undermined.
In the Nagorno Karabakh negotiations process, we will see serious
activity, he said. There will be a new president and therefore new
expectations. Minister expressed hope that the document which forms
the basis for negotiations will be maintained.
Even as we continue to search for a lasting solution, he said,
Armenians will remind the world that 2008 is the 20th anniversary of
the pogroms of Sumgait – in other words, the 20th anniversary of the
militarization of the conflict following the first case of ethnic
cleansing in the region. With those memories of a government that
perpetrated that kind of violence on people it considered its own
citizens, we will continue to search for a solution that guarantees
the safety and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, knowing as
we know and as the international community now acknowledges, there can
be no return to the status quo of 1988.
As for other developments regionally and internationally, the Minister
said Armenia will continue to monitor them, but will direct special
attention to developments surrounding Kosovo.
Minister Oskanian drew some parallels in the self-determination paths
that Nagorno Karabakh and Kosovo have crossed. He pointed out that
just as the international community finds unacceptable a reversal of
Kosovo’s status to that before the outbreak of hostilities in 1999, so
with Nagorno Karabakh, the people of Nagorno Karabakh find
unacceptable a return to their Soviet-era status.
In terms of engagment in international and regional organizations,
Minister Oskanian predicted an active year. There will be a NATO
Summit in early April, to which partners will also be invited, and
Armenia will attend. Armenia will assume the Collective Security
Treaty Organization chairmanship in mid-year and the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation chairmanship in the fall. In other organizations,
Armenia will remain actively engaged in the debates on regional and
international topics and will continue to bring its contribution to
reform processes in those organizations.
2008 will also be a practical year for regional projects of strategic
significance, he said. The Armenian segment of the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline will be completed; other projects of significance such as the
oil refinery and the rail line linking Armenia with Iran, as well as
uranium extraction processes and a new nuclear power plant will move
from conceptualization to the drawing board.
Diaspora activities will continue, with a strong focus on the Rural
Development Program. Cultural diplomacy will continue, with William
Saroyan’s and Victor Hambartsumian’s 100th birthdays being noted
internationally by UNESCO.
Finally, the Minister noted that January 19 marks the one-year
anniversary of Agos Editor Hrant Dink’s assassination in Istanbul. He
said that as we remember the man, we must also remind the world that
Hrant’s dream of normal relations between Armenia and Turkey have not
yet materialized.
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