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ARMENIAN DIPLOMACY CONSTANTLY SUFFERS A DEFEAT
By Aram Araratyan
ArmInfo
2010-12-01 19:40:00
Interview of Vladimir Karapetyan, member of Foreign Relations Committee
of Armenian National Congress, former spokesperson of Armenian Foreign
Ministry, with ArmInfo News Agency
Vladimir, how do you assess the Declaration adopted at the Lisbon
Summit of NATO and Serzh Sargsyan's decision to boycott this event?
A Declaration was adopted at the Lisbon Summit of NATO, the provisions
of which are unacceptable for Armenia. The 35th article in fact
determines Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement within the frames of
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Inclusion of such a dangerous
Wording for Nagorno-Karabakh that may break the fragile balance in
the Caucasus region is an omission of the Armenian diplomacy. I'd also
point out that the North Atlantic Alliance has been adopting a document
with similar wordings for many years, but the Armenian Foreign Ministry
or any other responsible state structure has expressed no protest or
disagreement with this. There was no response at all. Moreover, in 2008
Serzh Sargsyan personally participated in NATO summit in Bukharest,
where a similar wording was adopted in the NATO Declaration. This is
the continuation of unilateral concessions of the Armenian diplomacy.
The same provisions were in the outcome declaration in 2008, however,
Serzh Sargsyan attended the NATO Summit. How can his present step be
explained then?
Serzh Sargsyan deceives the people. If he says that refuses to take
part in the summit because of inadmissible wordings in the text of the
declaration, in that case why, having the similar conditions, did he
leave for Bucharest to take part in NATO summit in 2008 and why was
there no reaction in 2009? Why did Armenian Foreign Ministry say no
word on the occasion? It means that he simply draws the wool over the
eyes of the Armenian society. I'd also like to draw your attention to
one more document. The Summit of the Heads of Caspian Littoral States
took place in Baku after Serzh Sargsyan had said in Moscow that he was
returning to Armenia in a more confident mood after the meetings with
his counterparts. The statement adopted upon completion of the summit
contained even stricter formulations than NATO's declaration. The
presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan
stated that the regional conflicts should be settled on the basis
of not only respect for sovereignty and observance of territorial
integrity, but also inviolability of borders. To recall, 2 out of the
5 countries - Russia and Kazakhstan - are our allies within the CSTO.
This document demonstrates the real attitude of Serzh Sargsyan's
counterparts with whom he met in Moscow.
The OSCE is going to hold a summit in Astana. What are the expectations
concerning the Karabakh peace process?
As regards Astana, I cannot imagine what should make Azerbaijan
and actually NATO countries and Caspian littoral states supporting
it abstain from introducing the same provisions in the outcome
declaration of the OSCE Summit. As to the basic principles of the
Karabakh peace process (one of the first versions is known to the
public as the Madrid Document), their provisions are currently
being very intensively discussed. At the moment it is quite hard
to say whether there will be some progress on the Madrid Document
in Kazakhstan, but I am afraid that the outcome declaration of the
Summit in Astana may again contain unacceptable formulations for us.
You say that Armenia constantly suffers a diplomatic defeat. What is
the key reason of this defeat?
It is naturally obvious that the key reason is the domestic reason,
but I'd also like to say some words about the foreign policy. The
steps taken by Serzh Sargsyan over the past few years are leading to
consistent degradation of the Armenian foreign ministry. To prove my
words, I will only point out the fact that a lot of people that are no
diplomats have recently been appointed ambassadors. That is to say,
Serzh Sargsyan appoints judges, former parliamentarians, somebody's
relatives, friends, come-and-go people to the most important posts in
diplomatic missions. This means the incompetence that is displayed
everywhere also has a destructive effect on the Armenian foreign
ministry, where high-skilled and professional diplomats work. However,
the reason of all these foreign political problems are the domestic
problems, particularly, the availability of political prisoners and
the fact that Serzh Sargsyan cannot speak with his people. Look, the
heads of all our neighboring countries regularly address messages to
their people, participate in events, press conferences, and regularly
present the official stance to the people. When did Serzh Sargsyan do
anything of the kind? He cannot speak with the people, he is unable
to ground his own key decisions.
You have touched on some domestic political problems, particularly,
the problem of political prisoners. Let's continue this topic. The
PACE co-rapporteurs are expected to pay a visit to Yerevan in January.
Do you expect the authorities to take any steps in this direction
before the co-rapporteurs' arrival?
We have already said that we expect some progress in this direction.
It is a pity that Serzh Sargsyan neglects the appeals of the opposition
and the public and makes some concessions in the matter of political
prisoners only under the pressure of external forces. Just imagine what
effect it would have on his rating if this man decided to release the
political prisoners upon the appeal of his own citizens and his own
public. But since he was not elected president lawfully, he cannot
take this step and can make concessions under external pressure only.
Are you content with the work of PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia?
Not so much. The fact that they have paid no visit to Yerevan over a
year, while they should have done in accordance with their mandate,
speaks volumes. Although PACE adopted a resolution, according to which
people under cover may come out of hiding, the Armenian authorities,
whose representatives in PACE voted for the given resolution, detained
Nikol Pashinyan, thereby deceiving the PACE co-rapporteurs and the
international community. PACE has made absolutely no response to
this, and it is the indifference and inconsistency displayed by the
co-rapporteurs till October-November 2010 that contributed to this
behavior of the authorities.
The opposition has started to more frequently criticize Head
of Armenian Delegation to PACE David Haroutyunyan. ANC Leader
Ter-Petrosyan also touched on David Haroutyunyan's activity in his
latest speech. What is it connected with and why is David Haroutyunyan
criticized now?
David Harutyunyan is a man that contributed most of all to preserving
of our political prisoners in prison by his "corrections" and "active
work" in the Council of Europe. I think the history will see the true
value of David Haroutyunyan's "merits" in this matter. And we shall
try to do everything possible for the truth about Haroutyunyan's
anti-state actions to be available to everybody.
The Armenian National Congress has repeatedly stressed the necessity of
holding snap elections in the country. Are there any premises for this?
The failures and misfortunes in the domestic and foreign policies
of Armenia are conditioned by the fact that the Armenian authorities
are able to ensure progress in neither economy, nor democratization,
nor media freedom, nor any other issues. Being opposition, the ANC
is openly publishing all the existing problems, trying to mobilize
people and to make its voice heard in the wide circles. As for the
authorities, they cannot resolve these and some other vitally important
problems today and may be unable to ensure Armenia's security in the
future. These are very serious problems, and I suppose the sooner we
can hold free and fair elections, the better it will be for Armenia.
Vladimir, the history of public and political life of independent
Armenia shows that the man or the political party that has once
lost elections (let's put aside the matter of their fairness and
transparency) loses his/its electorate and suffers a defeat at the
following elections as well. It occurred in 1996 and 1998, and it
also occurred in 2003 and 2007. May Armenian National Congress have
the same fate?
The electorate of Armenian National Congress has undoubtedly grown
since 2008. The unprecedented mobilization of the society and the
unprecedented rallies held over 3 years are evidence of it. Can
you name any other country where there is such a situation when the
opposition can gather such numerous rallies and hold permanent protest
actions in three years after the elections? The trust of the people
is the most important thing in this matter. He said if the people
saw that the opposition is not fair and is bargaining, naturally,
they would not trust in such opposition. But the people trust in us
and our fair image. Our regional structures are actively working. I
am sure this work will become more active on the threshold of the
election. I would like to say that all this work has been implemented
by us in the conditions of absolute blockade by the television. I have
become the "television persona non grata" over the past 7-8 months.
Nevertheless, do you see anything positive in this country?
We observe regress in all spheres. Therefore I am sure that we will
be unable to gain progress until Armenia undergoes political changes.
Unfortunately, Serzh Sargsyan lacks the necessary political will to
implement serious reforms in the country.
Do you consider possible pre-electoral cooperation with other
oppositional forces, particularly ARFD and Heritage?
Dashnaktiutyun is not an opposition force. ARFD has 2 official
representatives in the National Assembly (Armen Rustamyan and Hrayr
Karapetyan), which occupy the leading positions in the parliament of
the country. ARFD is still supported by the authorities and their
criticism is not adequate taking into consideration the present
situation in the country. As for the Heritage party, nothing may be
ruled out. We hope that the opposition will go to the election with
a single front.
Thanks for the interview.
From: A. Papazian
By Aram Araratyan
ArmInfo
2010-12-01 19:40:00
Interview of Vladimir Karapetyan, member of Foreign Relations Committee
of Armenian National Congress, former spokesperson of Armenian Foreign
Ministry, with ArmInfo News Agency
Vladimir, how do you assess the Declaration adopted at the Lisbon
Summit of NATO and Serzh Sargsyan's decision to boycott this event?
A Declaration was adopted at the Lisbon Summit of NATO, the provisions
of which are unacceptable for Armenia. The 35th article in fact
determines Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement within the frames of
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Inclusion of such a dangerous
Wording for Nagorno-Karabakh that may break the fragile balance in
the Caucasus region is an omission of the Armenian diplomacy. I'd also
point out that the North Atlantic Alliance has been adopting a document
with similar wordings for many years, but the Armenian Foreign Ministry
or any other responsible state structure has expressed no protest or
disagreement with this. There was no response at all. Moreover, in 2008
Serzh Sargsyan personally participated in NATO summit in Bukharest,
where a similar wording was adopted in the NATO Declaration. This is
the continuation of unilateral concessions of the Armenian diplomacy.
The same provisions were in the outcome declaration in 2008, however,
Serzh Sargsyan attended the NATO Summit. How can his present step be
explained then?
Serzh Sargsyan deceives the people. If he says that refuses to take
part in the summit because of inadmissible wordings in the text of the
declaration, in that case why, having the similar conditions, did he
leave for Bucharest to take part in NATO summit in 2008 and why was
there no reaction in 2009? Why did Armenian Foreign Ministry say no
word on the occasion? It means that he simply draws the wool over the
eyes of the Armenian society. I'd also like to draw your attention to
one more document. The Summit of the Heads of Caspian Littoral States
took place in Baku after Serzh Sargsyan had said in Moscow that he was
returning to Armenia in a more confident mood after the meetings with
his counterparts. The statement adopted upon completion of the summit
contained even stricter formulations than NATO's declaration. The
presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan
stated that the regional conflicts should be settled on the basis
of not only respect for sovereignty and observance of territorial
integrity, but also inviolability of borders. To recall, 2 out of the
5 countries - Russia and Kazakhstan - are our allies within the CSTO.
This document demonstrates the real attitude of Serzh Sargsyan's
counterparts with whom he met in Moscow.
The OSCE is going to hold a summit in Astana. What are the expectations
concerning the Karabakh peace process?
As regards Astana, I cannot imagine what should make Azerbaijan
and actually NATO countries and Caspian littoral states supporting
it abstain from introducing the same provisions in the outcome
declaration of the OSCE Summit. As to the basic principles of the
Karabakh peace process (one of the first versions is known to the
public as the Madrid Document), their provisions are currently
being very intensively discussed. At the moment it is quite hard
to say whether there will be some progress on the Madrid Document
in Kazakhstan, but I am afraid that the outcome declaration of the
Summit in Astana may again contain unacceptable formulations for us.
You say that Armenia constantly suffers a diplomatic defeat. What is
the key reason of this defeat?
It is naturally obvious that the key reason is the domestic reason,
but I'd also like to say some words about the foreign policy. The
steps taken by Serzh Sargsyan over the past few years are leading to
consistent degradation of the Armenian foreign ministry. To prove my
words, I will only point out the fact that a lot of people that are no
diplomats have recently been appointed ambassadors. That is to say,
Serzh Sargsyan appoints judges, former parliamentarians, somebody's
relatives, friends, come-and-go people to the most important posts in
diplomatic missions. This means the incompetence that is displayed
everywhere also has a destructive effect on the Armenian foreign
ministry, where high-skilled and professional diplomats work. However,
the reason of all these foreign political problems are the domestic
problems, particularly, the availability of political prisoners and
the fact that Serzh Sargsyan cannot speak with his people. Look, the
heads of all our neighboring countries regularly address messages to
their people, participate in events, press conferences, and regularly
present the official stance to the people. When did Serzh Sargsyan do
anything of the kind? He cannot speak with the people, he is unable
to ground his own key decisions.
You have touched on some domestic political problems, particularly,
the problem of political prisoners. Let's continue this topic. The
PACE co-rapporteurs are expected to pay a visit to Yerevan in January.
Do you expect the authorities to take any steps in this direction
before the co-rapporteurs' arrival?
We have already said that we expect some progress in this direction.
It is a pity that Serzh Sargsyan neglects the appeals of the opposition
and the public and makes some concessions in the matter of political
prisoners only under the pressure of external forces. Just imagine what
effect it would have on his rating if this man decided to release the
political prisoners upon the appeal of his own citizens and his own
public. But since he was not elected president lawfully, he cannot
take this step and can make concessions under external pressure only.
Are you content with the work of PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia?
Not so much. The fact that they have paid no visit to Yerevan over a
year, while they should have done in accordance with their mandate,
speaks volumes. Although PACE adopted a resolution, according to which
people under cover may come out of hiding, the Armenian authorities,
whose representatives in PACE voted for the given resolution, detained
Nikol Pashinyan, thereby deceiving the PACE co-rapporteurs and the
international community. PACE has made absolutely no response to
this, and it is the indifference and inconsistency displayed by the
co-rapporteurs till October-November 2010 that contributed to this
behavior of the authorities.
The opposition has started to more frequently criticize Head
of Armenian Delegation to PACE David Haroutyunyan. ANC Leader
Ter-Petrosyan also touched on David Haroutyunyan's activity in his
latest speech. What is it connected with and why is David Haroutyunyan
criticized now?
David Harutyunyan is a man that contributed most of all to preserving
of our political prisoners in prison by his "corrections" and "active
work" in the Council of Europe. I think the history will see the true
value of David Haroutyunyan's "merits" in this matter. And we shall
try to do everything possible for the truth about Haroutyunyan's
anti-state actions to be available to everybody.
The Armenian National Congress has repeatedly stressed the necessity of
holding snap elections in the country. Are there any premises for this?
The failures and misfortunes in the domestic and foreign policies
of Armenia are conditioned by the fact that the Armenian authorities
are able to ensure progress in neither economy, nor democratization,
nor media freedom, nor any other issues. Being opposition, the ANC
is openly publishing all the existing problems, trying to mobilize
people and to make its voice heard in the wide circles. As for the
authorities, they cannot resolve these and some other vitally important
problems today and may be unable to ensure Armenia's security in the
future. These are very serious problems, and I suppose the sooner we
can hold free and fair elections, the better it will be for Armenia.
Vladimir, the history of public and political life of independent
Armenia shows that the man or the political party that has once
lost elections (let's put aside the matter of their fairness and
transparency) loses his/its electorate and suffers a defeat at the
following elections as well. It occurred in 1996 and 1998, and it
also occurred in 2003 and 2007. May Armenian National Congress have
the same fate?
The electorate of Armenian National Congress has undoubtedly grown
since 2008. The unprecedented mobilization of the society and the
unprecedented rallies held over 3 years are evidence of it. Can
you name any other country where there is such a situation when the
opposition can gather such numerous rallies and hold permanent protest
actions in three years after the elections? The trust of the people
is the most important thing in this matter. He said if the people
saw that the opposition is not fair and is bargaining, naturally,
they would not trust in such opposition. But the people trust in us
and our fair image. Our regional structures are actively working. I
am sure this work will become more active on the threshold of the
election. I would like to say that all this work has been implemented
by us in the conditions of absolute blockade by the television. I have
become the "television persona non grata" over the past 7-8 months.
Nevertheless, do you see anything positive in this country?
We observe regress in all spheres. Therefore I am sure that we will
be unable to gain progress until Armenia undergoes political changes.
Unfortunately, Serzh Sargsyan lacks the necessary political will to
implement serious reforms in the country.
Do you consider possible pre-electoral cooperation with other
oppositional forces, particularly ARFD and Heritage?
Dashnaktiutyun is not an opposition force. ARFD has 2 official
representatives in the National Assembly (Armen Rustamyan and Hrayr
Karapetyan), which occupy the leading positions in the parliament of
the country. ARFD is still supported by the authorities and their
criticism is not adequate taking into consideration the present
situation in the country. As for the Heritage party, nothing may be
ruled out. We hope that the opposition will go to the election with
a single front.
Thanks for the interview.
From: A. Papazian