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REFORMS WILL CRUSH INTERESTS OF ELITE
Lragir.am
14 July 06
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan made a series of
interesting statements on internal policies July 14 at the
Hayeli Club, commenting on Armenia's possibilities to counter the
challenges of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan. Vardan Oskanyan points to three
resources to play down the factor of oil - internal, Diasporan and
international. According to the foreign minister, Armenia has a long
way to go in all the three directions.
"Today our problem should not be which political force will assume
the responsibility for ruling the country but what our problems are
going to be in the next decade," says Vardan Oskanyan.
According to him, currently Armenia is coming to the finish of a
stage, which is marked by the end of two constitutional terms of
the president. "The two five-year terms of the president is over,
he cannot run a third term. The president must change. We also need
to be able to set serious goals. There was a definite problem of
continuity from the first to the second term, because there were
programs launched by the president which were to be completed. Some
of them finished, others are halfway, but we are probably facing a
more serious problem," says Vardan Oskanyan.
This more serious problem, according to the foreign minister of
Armenia, is setting Armenia on a qualitatively new plane. The minister
believes that Armenia has this possibility today.
"Therefore I would like our intelligentsia, our journalists to be
able to develop these problems in the upcoming one and a half year.
Not only concentrate on the political forces but also concentrate
on problems and see which political force will be able to solve one
problem or another, whether it has the political will or not, whether
it is prepared to do it or not, whether it has the possibility
or not. We must be guided by problems, not political forces or
individuals," says Vardan Oskanyan.
According to him, the problems are different. With regard to the
three resources of problem solution Vardan Oskanyan considers the
second generation of reforms. "Look, the main reason of positive
economic results is that we were brave enough to carry out serious
economic and political reforms. Economic rather than political,"
says the foreign minister. According to him, Armenia is at present
reaping the fruits of these reforms. Vardan Oskanyan thinks, however,
that these are the first generation of reforms.
"We must embark on the second generation of reforms. If we succeed,
believe me that the internal economic resource will be multiplied. I
am not saying will double, I say will be multiplied," says Vardan
Oskanyan.
According to him, democratization is another resource, which also
must be part of the second generation of reforms. "And the second
generation of reforms are the reforms which first of all strike the
economic and political interests of the elite. The problem is which
political force will have the courage," says Vardan Oskanyan.
The second resource, according to Vardan Oskanyan, is the resource of
the Diaspora. According to the foreign minister, Armenia is currently
using 2-3 percent of the Diasporan resource. "Why? Because there are
worries, confidence in the country, abuse, etc.," says Vardan Oskanyan.
"Here are the reforms. New quality in Armenia-Diaspora relations.
The real political force, which will be able to involve the Diaspora,
will lead to a greater contribution of the resource of the Diaspora,"
says Vardan Oskanyan.
Third, the international resource, according to Oskanyan, depends
on the reforms of the first and second resources. "If we manage
to do this, the image of Armenia, the reputation of Armenia will
be improved. Armenia will become reliable, a reliable partner for
others, and there will be a greater influx of investments," says
Vardan Oskanyan.
He does not want to be understood wrongly, making an impression that
something new will be setting off. According to Vardan Oskanyan,
considerable economic and political work has been done, and the
result is there. "But if we connect the issue with Baku-Ceyhan, the
great possibilities of Azerbaijan, we do not have other resources than
these three planes," says Vardan Oskanyan. Therefore, according to him,
it is necessary to place the country on a new quality plane by way of
the next election, and "for right orientation the right goals should
be set". "The goals should decide who must rule this country now,"
says Vardan Oskanyan.
The foreign minister states, however, that the path pointed out by
him should not be determined by a fair election, but the elections
should be determined by this path. "I say this in the context of
international relations, in the context of competition with Azerbaijan,
in the context of being a leader in the region. You see, it would be
a pity. Believe me that in the existing correlation today we are not
worse than out neighbors, I may even say we are good," says Vardan
Oskanyan. He thinks that this reality is not only expressed in figures
but it is also visible. The foreign minister announces that we are
leading in the region, "which took an immense sacrifice".
"But this is the best evidence to the fact that we can be a real
competitor. Because all this has been done using a very small part
of our resources. We have only one way of struggling against oil -
reliance on ourselves, best use of our resources," says the foreign
minister. He states that Armenia's resource is the three planes
he mentioned, and there is no need to look for anything else
anywhere. Vardan Oskanyan announces that he is optimistic, that
"our people are determined, and this time normal elections will be
conducted." And according to Vardan Oskanyan, pursuing problems and
setting them correctly will favor normal conduct of elections.
Lragir.am
14 July 06
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan made a series of
interesting statements on internal policies July 14 at the
Hayeli Club, commenting on Armenia's possibilities to counter the
challenges of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan. Vardan Oskanyan points to three
resources to play down the factor of oil - internal, Diasporan and
international. According to the foreign minister, Armenia has a long
way to go in all the three directions.
"Today our problem should not be which political force will assume
the responsibility for ruling the country but what our problems are
going to be in the next decade," says Vardan Oskanyan.
According to him, currently Armenia is coming to the finish of a
stage, which is marked by the end of two constitutional terms of
the president. "The two five-year terms of the president is over,
he cannot run a third term. The president must change. We also need
to be able to set serious goals. There was a definite problem of
continuity from the first to the second term, because there were
programs launched by the president which were to be completed. Some
of them finished, others are halfway, but we are probably facing a
more serious problem," says Vardan Oskanyan.
This more serious problem, according to the foreign minister of
Armenia, is setting Armenia on a qualitatively new plane. The minister
believes that Armenia has this possibility today.
"Therefore I would like our intelligentsia, our journalists to be
able to develop these problems in the upcoming one and a half year.
Not only concentrate on the political forces but also concentrate
on problems and see which political force will be able to solve one
problem or another, whether it has the political will or not, whether
it is prepared to do it or not, whether it has the possibility
or not. We must be guided by problems, not political forces or
individuals," says Vardan Oskanyan.
According to him, the problems are different. With regard to the
three resources of problem solution Vardan Oskanyan considers the
second generation of reforms. "Look, the main reason of positive
economic results is that we were brave enough to carry out serious
economic and political reforms. Economic rather than political,"
says the foreign minister. According to him, Armenia is at present
reaping the fruits of these reforms. Vardan Oskanyan thinks, however,
that these are the first generation of reforms.
"We must embark on the second generation of reforms. If we succeed,
believe me that the internal economic resource will be multiplied. I
am not saying will double, I say will be multiplied," says Vardan
Oskanyan.
According to him, democratization is another resource, which also
must be part of the second generation of reforms. "And the second
generation of reforms are the reforms which first of all strike the
economic and political interests of the elite. The problem is which
political force will have the courage," says Vardan Oskanyan.
The second resource, according to Vardan Oskanyan, is the resource of
the Diaspora. According to the foreign minister, Armenia is currently
using 2-3 percent of the Diasporan resource. "Why? Because there are
worries, confidence in the country, abuse, etc.," says Vardan Oskanyan.
"Here are the reforms. New quality in Armenia-Diaspora relations.
The real political force, which will be able to involve the Diaspora,
will lead to a greater contribution of the resource of the Diaspora,"
says Vardan Oskanyan.
Third, the international resource, according to Oskanyan, depends
on the reforms of the first and second resources. "If we manage
to do this, the image of Armenia, the reputation of Armenia will
be improved. Armenia will become reliable, a reliable partner for
others, and there will be a greater influx of investments," says
Vardan Oskanyan.
He does not want to be understood wrongly, making an impression that
something new will be setting off. According to Vardan Oskanyan,
considerable economic and political work has been done, and the
result is there. "But if we connect the issue with Baku-Ceyhan, the
great possibilities of Azerbaijan, we do not have other resources than
these three planes," says Vardan Oskanyan. Therefore, according to him,
it is necessary to place the country on a new quality plane by way of
the next election, and "for right orientation the right goals should
be set". "The goals should decide who must rule this country now,"
says Vardan Oskanyan.
The foreign minister states, however, that the path pointed out by
him should not be determined by a fair election, but the elections
should be determined by this path. "I say this in the context of
international relations, in the context of competition with Azerbaijan,
in the context of being a leader in the region. You see, it would be
a pity. Believe me that in the existing correlation today we are not
worse than out neighbors, I may even say we are good," says Vardan
Oskanyan. He thinks that this reality is not only expressed in figures
but it is also visible. The foreign minister announces that we are
leading in the region, "which took an immense sacrifice".
"But this is the best evidence to the fact that we can be a real
competitor. Because all this has been done using a very small part
of our resources. We have only one way of struggling against oil -
reliance on ourselves, best use of our resources," says the foreign
minister. He states that Armenia's resource is the three planes
he mentioned, and there is no need to look for anything else
anywhere. Vardan Oskanyan announces that he is optimistic, that
"our people are determined, and this time normal elections will be
conducted." And according to Vardan Oskanyan, pursuing problems and
setting them correctly will favor normal conduct of elections.