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SMALL NATIONS SHOULD NOT INTERFERE IN CONFLICTS BETWEEN WORLD POWERS
Interfax News Agency
Aug 25 2008
Russia
Small Caucasian nations should try hard to smooth over contradictions
between world powers that occur in their region, Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with the Austrian newspaper
Der Standard.
A key provision of our recent policy is that small nations located in
the highly sensitive region should do their best to minimize possible
confrontations between super powers instead of inflating them, he said.
It is very easy for any region to get short-time benefits from
contradictions between world powers that occur from time to time,
he said. However, it is much more difficult and useful to cooperate
impartially in the sphere of common interests.
Bearing in mind the challenges we have to withstand, it would be
senseless to create new division lines and artificial ideological
groups, he said.
Attempted armed resistance to the self-determination ambitions in
South Caucasian nations is fraught with major military and geopolitical
consequences, the president said.
The latest events clearly showed the real danger presented by the
arms race, unfounded enlargement of military budgets and militant
declarations in the South Caucasus. They also showed that such
conflicts should be settled through the free expression of will by
the people seeking self-determination. Otherwise, ethnic cleansing
and breach of international humanitarian laws would be unavoidable,
he said.
Strategic partnership with Russia has never impeded Armenia's normal
and effective cooperation with regional and non-regional countries
and international organizations. This is proven by the vast amount
of joint programs with the EU and NATO and the dynamic relations with
European states, the U.S. and Iran, Sargsyan said.
Asked whether the Russian dominance in the South Caucasus was
beneficial for Armenia, which housed a key Russian military base,
Sargsyan said, I think that in our times military bases are symbols
of efficient cooperation rather than of dominance.
Efficient sovereignty is important for Armenia, the same as for any
other state. The modern notion of sovereignty implies involvement in
international and regional security systems, he said.
Interfax News Agency
Aug 25 2008
Russia
Small Caucasian nations should try hard to smooth over contradictions
between world powers that occur in their region, Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with the Austrian newspaper
Der Standard.
A key provision of our recent policy is that small nations located in
the highly sensitive region should do their best to minimize possible
confrontations between super powers instead of inflating them, he said.
It is very easy for any region to get short-time benefits from
contradictions between world powers that occur from time to time,
he said. However, it is much more difficult and useful to cooperate
impartially in the sphere of common interests.
Bearing in mind the challenges we have to withstand, it would be
senseless to create new division lines and artificial ideological
groups, he said.
Attempted armed resistance to the self-determination ambitions in
South Caucasian nations is fraught with major military and geopolitical
consequences, the president said.
The latest events clearly showed the real danger presented by the
arms race, unfounded enlargement of military budgets and militant
declarations in the South Caucasus. They also showed that such
conflicts should be settled through the free expression of will by
the people seeking self-determination. Otherwise, ethnic cleansing
and breach of international humanitarian laws would be unavoidable,
he said.
Strategic partnership with Russia has never impeded Armenia's normal
and effective cooperation with regional and non-regional countries
and international organizations. This is proven by the vast amount
of joint programs with the EU and NATO and the dynamic relations with
European states, the U.S. and Iran, Sargsyan said.
Asked whether the Russian dominance in the South Caucasus was
beneficial for Armenia, which housed a key Russian military base,
Sargsyan said, I think that in our times military bases are symbols
of efficient cooperation rather than of dominance.
Efficient sovereignty is important for Armenia, the same as for any
other state. The modern notion of sovereignty implies involvement in
international and regional security systems, he said.