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SERZH SARGSYAN: ESTABLISHMENT OF NORMAL RELATIONS BETWEEN TWO NEIGHBORS IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY CONDITIONALITY
armradio.am
08.09.2009 10:32
At the invitation of the President of Croatia Stjepan Mesic, the
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan arrived in Croatia for a two-day
official visit.
The delegation headed by the President of Armenia comprises the
Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Economy
Nerses Yeritsian, Chairman of the Armenian Union of Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs (Employers) Arsen Ghazarian, President of the Chamber
of Commerce Martin Sargsyan, other officials and businessmen.
After the official ceremony of welcoming the President of Armenia,
which took place in the White Mansion on Veliki Bryn island, Presidents
Serzh Sargsyan and Stjepan Mesic conducted a one-on-one meeting. The
Presidents of two countries hailed the current level of political
dialogue between Armenia and Croatia. At the meeting the parties
discussed issues related to bilateral cooperation, international
topics, and other matters of mutual interest.
Expressing gratitude to Stjepan Masic for warm welcome, the President
of Armenia noted that the agreements reached during the official visit
of the President of Croatia to Armenia, were being implemented. Absence
of any unresolved issues between the two states as well as similarities
in the history of the two peoples encourage further deepening of
cooperation between Armenia and Croati a. The two sides stressed
that there is political will to move that cooperation forward on all
directions. President Sargsyan positively assessed the fact that there
are many businessmen in the Armenian delegation and noted that at
the business forum, which is to open tomorrow, the sides would have
ample opportunities to discuss concrete projects and initiatives on
cooperation in different areas.
The two Presidents spoke in particular about the possibility of
cooperation in the tourism area, noting that it would be supported
by considerable resources. The parties agreed that one of Armenia's
regions and one of the leading Croatian centers for tourism would
start cooperation, while Armenian students would be provided with
the opportunity to study tourism industry in the Croatian universities.
The two sides discussed also prospects of establishing joint programs
in the area agriculture.
The President of Croatia expressed confidence that deepening
cooperation between Armenia and Croatia would contribute to
the expansion of regional ties between the Balkans and the South
Caucasus region. Noting, that this was his first visit to the Balkan
region, President Sargsyan said that Armenia and Croatia had the
same system of values and that it was necessary to use the existing
great potential for the development of bilateral relations. He also
said that reciprocal visits of the Presidents during this year would
undoubtedly give an imp etus to that process.
President Stjepan Masic spoke about Croatia's road taken after
independence, country's current foreign relations agenda, and informed
on the EU accession process. It was also noted that tomorrow the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Croatia would sign a
Protocol on political consultations for European integration, which is
important for putting cooperation in that area on a firm footing. Serzh
Sargsyan stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation in various
EU formats and initiatives.
The parties agreed also to cooperate in different international
structures.
The President of Armenia told his Croatian colleague about the
recent developments in the Armenian-Turkish political dialogue,
presented Armenia's vision regarding normalization of bilateral
relations, and informed on the current stage of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict resolution process. The President of Croatia hailed the
initiative of the Armenian President aimed at the normalization of
relations with Turkey and expressed confidence that normalization
of the Armenian-Turkish relations would in turn contribute to the
strengthening of regional peace and security.
With regard to the institutionalization of cooperation the two
Presidents stressed the importance of creating the intergovernmental
commission, which will deal with the implementation of the reached
agreements and enhancement of cooperation in new areas on a permanent
basis.
After the one-on-one meeting, negotiations were continues in the
extended format.
In the afternoon, the President of Armenia attended the official
dinner in his honor given by the President of Croatia and visited the
exhibition on Veliki Bryn island dedicated to the renowned political
figure Josip Broz Tito.
The Presidents of Armenia and Croatia gave a joint press conference
to sum up the results of the talks
President Sargsyan said "Armenia attaches great importance to the
necessity to deepen relations with Croatia and the Balkan states in
general in all areas - political, economic, and cultural."
"The Armenian and Croatian peoples had similar destinies, the past
full of hardships and today that fact can serve a strong base for
friendship, mutual respect, and trust. The history of our nations also
has amazing interlinks, which testify to the ancient Armenian-Croatian
historical ties and cultural interfusion. I was pleased and amazed to
learn that the patron of your beautiful Dubrovnik and of Dalmatia,
Sveti Vlaho, is actually Armenian bishop of Sebastea, Saint Barsegh
(Saint Blaise).
Even though after independence due to objective reasons the
Armenian-Croatian relations were of somewhat erratic nature, the
situation now is cardinally different and there is an opportunity to
enrich our agenda with various issues. Today, it can be stated that
the reciprocal visits of the two Presidents laid the foundation fo r
the Armenian-Croatian political dialogue. Now, we need to establish
formats for regular contacts and ensure interaction of different
groups of our societies. Establishment of interparliamentary ties,
creation of the intergovernmental commission and contacts between local
authority bodies will become important elements of that dialogue. We
have also spoken about the necessity to deepen our cooperation in
international structures.
Armenia welcomes the opportunity for cooperation with Croatia in all
formats provided by the EU and particularly, in the framework of the
Eastern Partnership and Black Sea Synergy programs. I am confident
that the Memorandum on cooperation for European integration, which
is to be signed between our Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the
framework of this visit, will considerably facilitate that processes,"
Serzh Sargsyan stated.
"We have also spoken about international and regional issues
that present mutual interest. I told my colleague, President of
Croatia about the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh peace
process. Croatia, as a country, which gained independence after the
collapse of Yugoslavia, knows only too well the value of the right of
people for self-determination and possible consequences of opposing
that right by military force. Use of force against the people who
strive for self-determination only fortifies that people's right
- legally, politically, and morally. We reiterated our posi tion
that regional conflicts must be solved through peaceful means and
negotiations, excluding use of force. We expressed shared confidence
that with this regard regional cooperation could play an exceptional
role. I also told President Mesic about the current situation with
the Armenian initiative aimed at normalization of our relations with
Turkey. We agreed that lifting the blockade against Armenia by Turkey
and establishment of normal relations between two neighbors were not
subject to any conditionality. It is the only modus vivendi between two
neighboring states in the 21st century, President Sargsyan concluded.
armradio.am
08.09.2009 10:32
At the invitation of the President of Croatia Stjepan Mesic, the
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan arrived in Croatia for a two-day
official visit.
The delegation headed by the President of Armenia comprises the
Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Economy
Nerses Yeritsian, Chairman of the Armenian Union of Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs (Employers) Arsen Ghazarian, President of the Chamber
of Commerce Martin Sargsyan, other officials and businessmen.
After the official ceremony of welcoming the President of Armenia,
which took place in the White Mansion on Veliki Bryn island, Presidents
Serzh Sargsyan and Stjepan Mesic conducted a one-on-one meeting. The
Presidents of two countries hailed the current level of political
dialogue between Armenia and Croatia. At the meeting the parties
discussed issues related to bilateral cooperation, international
topics, and other matters of mutual interest.
Expressing gratitude to Stjepan Masic for warm welcome, the President
of Armenia noted that the agreements reached during the official visit
of the President of Croatia to Armenia, were being implemented. Absence
of any unresolved issues between the two states as well as similarities
in the history of the two peoples encourage further deepening of
cooperation between Armenia and Croati a. The two sides stressed
that there is political will to move that cooperation forward on all
directions. President Sargsyan positively assessed the fact that there
are many businessmen in the Armenian delegation and noted that at
the business forum, which is to open tomorrow, the sides would have
ample opportunities to discuss concrete projects and initiatives on
cooperation in different areas.
The two Presidents spoke in particular about the possibility of
cooperation in the tourism area, noting that it would be supported
by considerable resources. The parties agreed that one of Armenia's
regions and one of the leading Croatian centers for tourism would
start cooperation, while Armenian students would be provided with
the opportunity to study tourism industry in the Croatian universities.
The two sides discussed also prospects of establishing joint programs
in the area agriculture.
The President of Croatia expressed confidence that deepening
cooperation between Armenia and Croatia would contribute to
the expansion of regional ties between the Balkans and the South
Caucasus region. Noting, that this was his first visit to the Balkan
region, President Sargsyan said that Armenia and Croatia had the
same system of values and that it was necessary to use the existing
great potential for the development of bilateral relations. He also
said that reciprocal visits of the Presidents during this year would
undoubtedly give an imp etus to that process.
President Stjepan Masic spoke about Croatia's road taken after
independence, country's current foreign relations agenda, and informed
on the EU accession process. It was also noted that tomorrow the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Croatia would sign a
Protocol on political consultations for European integration, which is
important for putting cooperation in that area on a firm footing. Serzh
Sargsyan stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation in various
EU formats and initiatives.
The parties agreed also to cooperate in different international
structures.
The President of Armenia told his Croatian colleague about the
recent developments in the Armenian-Turkish political dialogue,
presented Armenia's vision regarding normalization of bilateral
relations, and informed on the current stage of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict resolution process. The President of Croatia hailed the
initiative of the Armenian President aimed at the normalization of
relations with Turkey and expressed confidence that normalization
of the Armenian-Turkish relations would in turn contribute to the
strengthening of regional peace and security.
With regard to the institutionalization of cooperation the two
Presidents stressed the importance of creating the intergovernmental
commission, which will deal with the implementation of the reached
agreements and enhancement of cooperation in new areas on a permanent
basis.
After the one-on-one meeting, negotiations were continues in the
extended format.
In the afternoon, the President of Armenia attended the official
dinner in his honor given by the President of Croatia and visited the
exhibition on Veliki Bryn island dedicated to the renowned political
figure Josip Broz Tito.
The Presidents of Armenia and Croatia gave a joint press conference
to sum up the results of the talks
President Sargsyan said "Armenia attaches great importance to the
necessity to deepen relations with Croatia and the Balkan states in
general in all areas - political, economic, and cultural."
"The Armenian and Croatian peoples had similar destinies, the past
full of hardships and today that fact can serve a strong base for
friendship, mutual respect, and trust. The history of our nations also
has amazing interlinks, which testify to the ancient Armenian-Croatian
historical ties and cultural interfusion. I was pleased and amazed to
learn that the patron of your beautiful Dubrovnik and of Dalmatia,
Sveti Vlaho, is actually Armenian bishop of Sebastea, Saint Barsegh
(Saint Blaise).
Even though after independence due to objective reasons the
Armenian-Croatian relations were of somewhat erratic nature, the
situation now is cardinally different and there is an opportunity to
enrich our agenda with various issues. Today, it can be stated that
the reciprocal visits of the two Presidents laid the foundation fo r
the Armenian-Croatian political dialogue. Now, we need to establish
formats for regular contacts and ensure interaction of different
groups of our societies. Establishment of interparliamentary ties,
creation of the intergovernmental commission and contacts between local
authority bodies will become important elements of that dialogue. We
have also spoken about the necessity to deepen our cooperation in
international structures.
Armenia welcomes the opportunity for cooperation with Croatia in all
formats provided by the EU and particularly, in the framework of the
Eastern Partnership and Black Sea Synergy programs. I am confident
that the Memorandum on cooperation for European integration, which
is to be signed between our Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the
framework of this visit, will considerably facilitate that processes,"
Serzh Sargsyan stated.
"We have also spoken about international and regional issues
that present mutual interest. I told my colleague, President of
Croatia about the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh peace
process. Croatia, as a country, which gained independence after the
collapse of Yugoslavia, knows only too well the value of the right of
people for self-determination and possible consequences of opposing
that right by military force. Use of force against the people who
strive for self-determination only fortifies that people's right
- legally, politically, and morally. We reiterated our posi tion
that regional conflicts must be solved through peaceful means and
negotiations, excluding use of force. We expressed shared confidence
that with this regard regional cooperation could play an exceptional
role. I also told President Mesic about the current situation with
the Armenian initiative aimed at normalization of our relations with
Turkey. We agreed that lifting the blockade against Armenia by Turkey
and establishment of normal relations between two neighbors were not
subject to any conditionality. It is the only modus vivendi between two
neighboring states in the 21st century, President Sargsyan concluded.