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FORMER ARMENIAN FM COMMENTS ON INCUMBENT GOVERNMENT'S FOREIGN POLICY
Regnum news agency, Russia
April 13 2013
The former Armenian Foreign minister and currently member of the
National Assembly's second-largest Prosperous Armenia faction, Vardan
Oskanyan, who also heads the party list in the election to Armenian
capital Yerevan's City Council, has given an interview to the Russian
Regnum agency.
Domestic and foreign policy issues under President Serzh Sargsyan
Vardan Oskanyan criticized President Serzh Sargsyan's domestic and
foreign policies. "No progress could be seen over the past five years
[of Sargsyan's tenure]. Pressing issues this country faced were not
resolved," Oskanyan said. As the "most important domestic challenge
faced by Armenia", Oskanyan mentioned emigration from and depopulation
of Armenia, which he said "posed a threat to national security".
Oskanyan also criticized Sargsyan's style of government. "The
political monopoly [of the ruling party] should be eliminated and an
effective system of counterweights should be set up. Only after that
we will be able to change the situation in this country for the
better, resolve economic problems, and improve the living conditions
of the citizens," Regnum quoted him as saying.
Answering a question on foreign policy and the notion of
"complementarism", which had been Oskanyan's main driving foreign
political idea, he said that Armenia under Sargsyan "ceased to keep to
complementarism in foreign policy". "The main warrant of successful
complementarism is publicity," he said, adding that the situation
under way was far from publicity. "Currently, the situation lacks
clarity, there is no ideological base for foreign policy," he went on
saying, adding that the alleged lack of clarity gave the opportunity
to foreign actors "to interpret everything in their own way".
Relations with Russia
Oskanyan said that he was not on the whole pleased with current
Armenian-Russian relations, taking into consideration the fact that
both countries were strategic partners. "When they say 'strategic
relations', they need to put content in it, too, which I cannot see
now," Oskanyan was quoted as saying. "The Armenian-Russian relations,
which are among the most important for my country, are not on their
peak," he added. "We need to know how to formulate agenda with Russia,
put questions to it, regularly get them resolved and impel Moscow to
appropriately assess the role of Armenia in the region as of a
country, which is keeping a balance, especially when compared with its
two neighbours," he said.
Relations with Georgia
Oskanyan said that the improvement of Russian-Georgian relations would
be beneficial for Armenia, easing Armenia's relations with both
countries, but added: "There should be no expectation of a quick
settlement" of relations between Moscow and Tbilisi.
He also said that Armenia also suffered consequences of strained
relations between the two countries. "The problem for us was our
inability to maintain a balance in the Armenia-Russia-Georgia
triangle, where the recent events took place and had a negative impact
on our relations to either party," he added.
Speaking on the Georgian experience in democratic transformations,
Oskanyan praised them, saying that the Georgian experience "could in
some sense serve as an example to emulate".
Turkey, Armenian genocide
Speaking on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey during World War I and its denial by modern Turkey,
which strains relations with Armenia, Oskanyan said that if Armenia
"played the game in accordance with Turkish rules", Armenia would come
to a "loss." Meanwhile, he said that there were other issues on the
agenda with Turkey, such as opening borders and establishing
diplomatic relations between the two countries. "The Turkish policy of
denial and political and economic blackmail by Ankara consumes all of
our time and effort," Oskanyan said.
Commenting on the efforts by Serzh Sargsyan to normalize relations
with Turkey and sign controversial protocols with Turkey in 2009,
Oskanyan said that it "drove a wedge between Armenia and diaspora" and
had a negative impact on the process of international recognition of
the Armenian genocide by various states.
Relations with Israel
When asked on the Armenian-Israeli ties in the context of the
recognition of the Armenian genocide, Oskanyan said that cooperation
between Armenian and Israeli specialists in the field of genocide was
successful, while Israel's official position was not that of
recognizing the Armenian genocide. "I do not think that any progress
could be expected in the process of the recognition of the Armenian
genocide by Israel," he said.
Meanwhile Oskanyan said that Armenian-Israeli relations could be
viewed in the context of Israel's cooperation with Azerbaijan. "Its
[Israel's] active cooperation with Azerbaijan draws a one-sided
picture in the region and could potentially change the balance of
powers," he said, adding that "time for boosting relations with that
country has come" for Armenia.
As for possible negative reactions by Armenia's partners, such as Iran
or some Arab countries, Oskanyan said: "Against the background of
development of Israeli-Azerbaijani relations, our national interests
simply require active actions regardless of sensitivity of third
parties towards those issues".
Regnum news agency, Russia
April 13 2013
The former Armenian Foreign minister and currently member of the
National Assembly's second-largest Prosperous Armenia faction, Vardan
Oskanyan, who also heads the party list in the election to Armenian
capital Yerevan's City Council, has given an interview to the Russian
Regnum agency.
Domestic and foreign policy issues under President Serzh Sargsyan
Vardan Oskanyan criticized President Serzh Sargsyan's domestic and
foreign policies. "No progress could be seen over the past five years
[of Sargsyan's tenure]. Pressing issues this country faced were not
resolved," Oskanyan said. As the "most important domestic challenge
faced by Armenia", Oskanyan mentioned emigration from and depopulation
of Armenia, which he said "posed a threat to national security".
Oskanyan also criticized Sargsyan's style of government. "The
political monopoly [of the ruling party] should be eliminated and an
effective system of counterweights should be set up. Only after that
we will be able to change the situation in this country for the
better, resolve economic problems, and improve the living conditions
of the citizens," Regnum quoted him as saying.
Answering a question on foreign policy and the notion of
"complementarism", which had been Oskanyan's main driving foreign
political idea, he said that Armenia under Sargsyan "ceased to keep to
complementarism in foreign policy". "The main warrant of successful
complementarism is publicity," he said, adding that the situation
under way was far from publicity. "Currently, the situation lacks
clarity, there is no ideological base for foreign policy," he went on
saying, adding that the alleged lack of clarity gave the opportunity
to foreign actors "to interpret everything in their own way".
Relations with Russia
Oskanyan said that he was not on the whole pleased with current
Armenian-Russian relations, taking into consideration the fact that
both countries were strategic partners. "When they say 'strategic
relations', they need to put content in it, too, which I cannot see
now," Oskanyan was quoted as saying. "The Armenian-Russian relations,
which are among the most important for my country, are not on their
peak," he added. "We need to know how to formulate agenda with Russia,
put questions to it, regularly get them resolved and impel Moscow to
appropriately assess the role of Armenia in the region as of a
country, which is keeping a balance, especially when compared with its
two neighbours," he said.
Relations with Georgia
Oskanyan said that the improvement of Russian-Georgian relations would
be beneficial for Armenia, easing Armenia's relations with both
countries, but added: "There should be no expectation of a quick
settlement" of relations between Moscow and Tbilisi.
He also said that Armenia also suffered consequences of strained
relations between the two countries. "The problem for us was our
inability to maintain a balance in the Armenia-Russia-Georgia
triangle, where the recent events took place and had a negative impact
on our relations to either party," he added.
Speaking on the Georgian experience in democratic transformations,
Oskanyan praised them, saying that the Georgian experience "could in
some sense serve as an example to emulate".
Turkey, Armenian genocide
Speaking on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey during World War I and its denial by modern Turkey,
which strains relations with Armenia, Oskanyan said that if Armenia
"played the game in accordance with Turkish rules", Armenia would come
to a "loss." Meanwhile, he said that there were other issues on the
agenda with Turkey, such as opening borders and establishing
diplomatic relations between the two countries. "The Turkish policy of
denial and political and economic blackmail by Ankara consumes all of
our time and effort," Oskanyan said.
Commenting on the efforts by Serzh Sargsyan to normalize relations
with Turkey and sign controversial protocols with Turkey in 2009,
Oskanyan said that it "drove a wedge between Armenia and diaspora" and
had a negative impact on the process of international recognition of
the Armenian genocide by various states.
Relations with Israel
When asked on the Armenian-Israeli ties in the context of the
recognition of the Armenian genocide, Oskanyan said that cooperation
between Armenian and Israeli specialists in the field of genocide was
successful, while Israel's official position was not that of
recognizing the Armenian genocide. "I do not think that any progress
could be expected in the process of the recognition of the Armenian
genocide by Israel," he said.
Meanwhile Oskanyan said that Armenian-Israeli relations could be
viewed in the context of Israel's cooperation with Azerbaijan. "Its
[Israel's] active cooperation with Azerbaijan draws a one-sided
picture in the region and could potentially change the balance of
powers," he said, adding that "time for boosting relations with that
country has come" for Armenia.
As for possible negative reactions by Armenia's partners, such as Iran
or some Arab countries, Oskanyan said: "Against the background of
development of Israeli-Azerbaijani relations, our national interests
simply require active actions regardless of sensitivity of third
parties towards those issues".