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Armenia seeks to balance relations with Russia, NATO
Associated Press Worldstream
December 18, 2004 Saturday 10:56 AM Eastern Time
YEREVAN, Armenia -- Armenia wants to deepen its relations with NATO
but sees no alternative to its military alliance with Russia, at
least for the time being, the former Soviet republic's defense and
security chief said Saturday.
"With the aim of creating a guaranteed security for Armenia, the
leadership of the country will continue focused work in various
directions," Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, who is also secretary
of the country's Security Council, said at a conference on regional
security attended by Armenian political leaders and foreign diplomats.
However, he said that "the Armenian-Russian military alliance has
no alternatives today" and that Armenia would develop relations with
NATO only up to the point of conflict with its obligations under the
Collective Security Treaty, a pact that links Russia with Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Sarkisian said that at the moment Armenia sees no need to join NATO,
but he added that its ties with the Western alliance are tightening.
He said Armenia plans to take part in 50 NATO events and eight NATO
exercises next year - up from 47 and five, respectively, this year.
He said Armenia's close ties with Russia won't get in the way of its
efforts to integrate more closely with Europe.
Armenia, which hosts a Soviet-era military base, is Russia's closest
ally in the Caucasus region, where Georgia is trying to shed Russian
influence and Azerbaijan - Armenia's enemy - is courting the West
while seeking to maintain friendly relations with Moscow.
Russia's parliament chairman recently called Armenia a Russian
outpost in the region, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov
told foreign military attaches that Russia's military presence in
ex-Soviet republics such as Armenia are a key element of security.
Associated Press Worldstream
December 18, 2004 Saturday 10:56 AM Eastern Time
YEREVAN, Armenia -- Armenia wants to deepen its relations with NATO
but sees no alternative to its military alliance with Russia, at
least for the time being, the former Soviet republic's defense and
security chief said Saturday.
"With the aim of creating a guaranteed security for Armenia, the
leadership of the country will continue focused work in various
directions," Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, who is also secretary
of the country's Security Council, said at a conference on regional
security attended by Armenian political leaders and foreign diplomats.
However, he said that "the Armenian-Russian military alliance has
no alternatives today" and that Armenia would develop relations with
NATO only up to the point of conflict with its obligations under the
Collective Security Treaty, a pact that links Russia with Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Sarkisian said that at the moment Armenia sees no need to join NATO,
but he added that its ties with the Western alliance are tightening.
He said Armenia plans to take part in 50 NATO events and eight NATO
exercises next year - up from 47 and five, respectively, this year.
He said Armenia's close ties with Russia won't get in the way of its
efforts to integrate more closely with Europe.
Armenia, which hosts a Soviet-era military base, is Russia's closest
ally in the Caucasus region, where Georgia is trying to shed Russian
influence and Azerbaijan - Armenia's enemy - is courting the West
while seeking to maintain friendly relations with Moscow.
Russia's parliament chairman recently called Armenia a Russian
outpost in the region, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov
told foreign military attaches that Russia's military presence in
ex-Soviet republics such as Armenia are a key element of security.