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MFA of Armenia: Oskanian's interview to Second Armenian TV Channel

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  • MFA of Armenia: Oskanian's interview to Second Armenian TV Channel

    MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
    ------------------------------------------ ----
    PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
    375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
    Fax: +37410. 562543
    Email: [email protected]
    www.armeniaforeignministry.am

    PRESS RELEASE

    16-03-2006

    Minister Vartan Oskanian interviewed by Second Armenian TV Channel

    Question: Mr. Oskanian, what issues did you discuss with the high-level
    representatives of the State Department?

    Oskanian: Today, in our meeting with the high-level representatives
    of the US State Dept, we focused on three areas: bilateral issues,
    energy-related issues and of course the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
    resolution process.

    Regarding the first, the upcoming Millennium Challenge Compact signing
    ceremony is of course uppermost in everyone's mind. The Minister
    of Finance will sign the compact in Washington on March 27. I'll be
    present during the ceremony. We are truly fortunate to have these kinds
    of significant resources made available to us. This is a very serious
    program that offers us the opportunity to make huge infrastructure
    improvements, and it's related directly to our democratization
    process. This program will put Armenia-US relations at a new level.

    Energy issues, too, are obviously, very important today. It was
    interesting to hear the US thinking on this subject. For Armenia, the
    diversification of energy sources is a matter of utmost priority. Our
    energy security depends on our being able to maintain the nuclear
    resource, and we discussed all of these topics.

    Finally, the Nagorno Karabakh issue: Here the fundamental issue is that
    negotiations continue. After Rambouillet and the backtracking that we
    sensed there, the challenge is to preserve the positive achievements
    and build on those. The co-chairs will meet soon and then it will be
    clearer what might happen next. Our discussions today revolved around
    how we might do that in a way that tries to find solutions for the
    deadlocked situation in which we find ourselves today.

    Question: What do you make of Aliev's statements, including those
    today, extolling their increasing military capability?

    Oskanian: It must be exactly because of their huge military budget
    that they have been working overtime at the border and repeatedly
    violating the ceasefire. They must have extra bullets to spare.

    But let's look at this from a global context. Today, in the
    civilized world, peoples and states don't compete over the size
    of their military budget. That's not what they take pride in when
    they compare themselves with their neighbors. Today, the spheres
    of competition are elsewhere. And in all those spheres, Armenia is
    ahead of Azerbaijan. So far ahead that there is really no room to
    compare. Beginning with the UN's human development index, Armenia is
    ahead of Azerbaijan. The international index that gauges Armenia's
    investment climate puts Armenia way ahead of Azerbaijan. They're not
    even a member of the WTO. There is no comparison in level of democratic
    development, human rights protections or press freedoms. In indexes
    that measure economic freedoms and development, and transparency and
    gains in the battle against corruption, Armenia is disproportionately
    better than Azerbaijan. Despite the fact that it's how many years
    now that Azerbaijan produces 400,000 barrels of oil, the per capita
    income in Azerbaijan still hasn't reached Armenia's. It is better that
    Azerbaijan tries to reach Armenia's levels in these fields, than try
    to compete and take pride in being ahead with its military capacity.
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