ARMENIA'S HERITAGE PARTY VS MADRID PRINCIPLES
Tert.am
25.11.11
The Heritage party's position on Armenian-Turkish relations is similar
to that of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun
(ARF-D): Armenia must reject the Armenian-Turkish protocols as they
open a way for two of Turkey's three main preconditions.
Speaking at a discussion on Armenian political parties' foreign policy
agenda, Styopa Safaryan, Chairman of the Heritage parliamentary
faction, said that Armenian political forces' positions on foreign
policy issues are not identical. The differences are, however, not
much talked about. The challenges causing conflicts are settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.
The state of democracy and domestic problems affect the efficiency
of Armenia's foreign policy. National interests must not be viewed
apart from human rights and freedoms Safaryan said.
When the Heritage party introduced a bill recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh,
it was alone. The other political forces objected to the bill as an
"untimely one." "Our demand is that Armenia officially recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh and confirm its exclusive right to act as negotiator
and apply to the International Criminal Court," Safaryan said.
The Heritage party's program clearly indicates European integration as
a priority because Armenia is considered part of European civilization
and must regain its positions in the pan-European family. "I do
not know about any political force that gives priority to European
integration. In this context, we objected to the extension of Russian
military presence in Armenia, as well as to the Eurasian alliance
- it may cause problems in Armenia's foreign policy aimed at full
integration into Europe and at reaching an association agreement,"
Safaryan said.
"How?" is a "litmus test" for foreign policy issues. Political forces'
answers to this question clearly show if they are honest about
their aims. It is easy to say that Armenia is exerting efforts for
Nagorno-Karabakh to be internationally recognized. However, Armenia's
budget message has not contained a single word about it for years. We
object to the Madrid principles because the building was originally
on the wrong basis," Safaryan said.
Tert.am
25.11.11
The Heritage party's position on Armenian-Turkish relations is similar
to that of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun
(ARF-D): Armenia must reject the Armenian-Turkish protocols as they
open a way for two of Turkey's three main preconditions.
Speaking at a discussion on Armenian political parties' foreign policy
agenda, Styopa Safaryan, Chairman of the Heritage parliamentary
faction, said that Armenian political forces' positions on foreign
policy issues are not identical. The differences are, however, not
much talked about. The challenges causing conflicts are settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish reconciliation.
The state of democracy and domestic problems affect the efficiency
of Armenia's foreign policy. National interests must not be viewed
apart from human rights and freedoms Safaryan said.
When the Heritage party introduced a bill recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh,
it was alone. The other political forces objected to the bill as an
"untimely one." "Our demand is that Armenia officially recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh and confirm its exclusive right to act as negotiator
and apply to the International Criminal Court," Safaryan said.
The Heritage party's program clearly indicates European integration as
a priority because Armenia is considered part of European civilization
and must regain its positions in the pan-European family. "I do
not know about any political force that gives priority to European
integration. In this context, we objected to the extension of Russian
military presence in Armenia, as well as to the Eurasian alliance
- it may cause problems in Armenia's foreign policy aimed at full
integration into Europe and at reaching an association agreement,"
Safaryan said.
"How?" is a "litmus test" for foreign policy issues. Political forces'
answers to this question clearly show if they are honest about
their aims. It is easy to say that Armenia is exerting efforts for
Nagorno-Karabakh to be internationally recognized. However, Armenia's
budget message has not contained a single word about it for years. We
object to the Madrid principles because the building was originally
on the wrong basis," Safaryan said.