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Armenian paper notes importance of continuing cooperation with NATO

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  • Armenian paper notes importance of continuing cooperation with NATO

    Armenian paper notes importance of continuing cooperation with NATO

    Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
    30 Jun 04

    Text of Artak Grigoryan's report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkharh
    on 30 June headlined "NATO and Armenia"

    The NATO summit which has come to an end in Istanbul has shown that
    serious disagreements are continuing within this powerful military and
    political bloc. Because of those disagreements a further split is
    taking place in mutual interests in several main directions. They are:

    a) Ways of settling the Iraq issue although the USA has moved its
    "knight": on the eve of the summit it handed over power in Iraq to the
    Iraqis themselves, but failed to get France and Germany's agreement to
    use NATO forces in that country in this or other way;

    b) In turn, the host country of the summit, Turkey, also did
    everything possible to demonstrate its indispensability for the
    Western community. But in this sense, the "performance was not
    successful" either, as Bush was met in Istanbul by thousands of
    demonstrators who showed a growth in anti-American moods in Turkey;

    c) Also, they did not manage to restore severed cooperation between
    Turkey and France, which is why Jacques Chirac did not reply to the
    Turkish president's hint about the recognition of the Armenian
    genocide.

    So the NATO summit showed that although the US leadership is doing
    everything possible today to correct its mistakes in the Iraq war, it
    has no more opportunity to return to "good old" times, because the
    choice of new targets leads to a split in the interests of NATO member
    countries. It is not by chance that the USA has adopted a strategy of
    "employing" each of them in separate directions. The USA is trying to
    take responsibility for the southern sector in order to preserve
    control over the Arab world which is rich in mineral resources, is
    directing the European Union to the South Caucasus and is trying to
    direct Turkey to the European Union.

    There is a question: will the USA manage to keep control over the
    interests of its own partners who are gradually splitting up. Judging
    by this, not all of them are going to oppose the USA. Simply each of
    them is trying to solve its problems within the framework of
    NATO. This working style is turning NATO into a specific "roof" under
    which a fight for control over its separate "storeys" is taking place.

    The understanding of this situation prompts us to assess in a
    different way the problem of Armenia's further cooperation with NATO,
    i.e the task to see our own interests as much protected as
    possible. So although Armenia continues to be a member of the CIS
    Collective Security Treaty, next autumn it is going to draw up its own
    programme of cooperation with NATO. Such cooperation is very necessary
    to enable our country to participate in the processes taking place
    within the framework of NATO today, that is, not to find ourselves
    "sidelined".

    The reason is evident: although Turkey's positions within NATO seem
    strong and steadfast, this country is no longer indispensable. Turkey
    has turned into a very heavy instrument which gradually rusts and
    requires big expenses for taking care of it. But when the time comes
    for using that complex instrument, Turkey starts putting its own
    interests forward as in the case of Iraq.

    In such conditions, remaining a member of the CIS Collective Security
    Treaty and at the same time, strengthening our cooperation with NATO
    is not a "double game", but a conscious need "to find room" in the
    world and regional security systems.

    First of all, a small country like Armenia does not need to be in
    opposition to any pole of power. Second, to soften as much as possible
    a likely threat from the clash of their interests in the
    region. Third, not to allow Turkey and Azerbaijan to use NATO for
    weakening Armenia's positions in the region. And finally, to
    understand that the more often statements are made about Turkey's
    indispensability for NATO, the more evident is their role of a
    junction.

    We are sure that remaining a member of the CIS Collective Security
    Treaty and at the same time, deepening its mutual cooperation with
    NATO, Armenia will get several equally interesting opportunities for
    strengthening its positions in the region and specific options for
    their implementation.
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