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Armenia Seeks To Maintain Cooperation With NATO - Premier

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  • Armenia Seeks To Maintain Cooperation With NATO - Premier

    ARMENIA SEEKS TO MAINTAIN COOPERATION WITH NATO - PREMIER

    ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
    May 22, 2006 Monday 02:00 PM EST

    The development of cooperation with NATO should be considered within
    Armenia's policy to European integration, Prime Minister Andranik
    Margaryan said.

    In his meeting with NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and
    Central Asia Robert Simmons on Monday, the Armenian prime minister
    said, "Cooperation with the Alliance is one of the most important
    components of Armenia's multi-level security system."

    He attaches significance to the expansion of the Armenian-NATO
    political dialogue and the defence reform. In his words, these reforms
    will be carried out consistently to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement,
    security in the region and the normalisation of Armenian-Turkish
    relations.

    "By maintaining cooperation with NATO Armenia never opposes different
    security systems and pursues its policy to meet mutual interests,"
    Margaryan said.

    "Armenia continues its support for NATO's efforts aimed at developing
    constructive interaction between the states of the South Caucasus
    and regional cooperation," he stressed.

    Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan said cooperation with
    NATO and the participation in NATO's Partnership for Peace Programme
    is one of the components of Armenia's security system. The diplomat
    stressed that it is important to expand a political dialogue with
    NATO and carry out the defence reform, in particular in working out
    a national security concept.

    "Armenia does not intend to join NATO," Armenian President Robert
    Kocharyan said at the end of April. At the same time, the president
    stressed, "Under, the Individual Partnership Programme Armenia is
    actively deepening its interaction with the Alliance as a key European
    security organisation. Armenia's Euro-Atlantic ambitions are weighty,
    realistic and are positively interpreted by European structures. They
    do not create problems in relations with Russia."

    Kocharyan pointed out that Armenia "states its position identically
    in Moscow, Brussels and Washington."

    Simmons said NATO lauds the expansion of Euro-Atlantic cooperation.

    The Alliance does not consider such cooperation rivalry with other
    security system, he added.

    Armenia's Individual Partnership Programme has become a step forward
    and meets Armenia's interests. It also helps carry out defence reform
    and strengthen democracy, Simmons stressed.

    He said it is important to broadly inform the Armenian public about
    NATO's activity. The NATO official expressed satisfaction with
    Armenia's efforts aimed at implementing its Individual Partnership
    Programme. The Alliance seeks the successful implementation of this
    document due NATO's bigger interest in the situation in the South
    Caucasian region.
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