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ANALYSIS: ARMENIA COMBINES COOPERATION WITH FORMER SOVIET ALLIES AND NATO TO BOOST ITS SECURITY
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/49300/armenia_cis_security_nato_karabakh
ANALYSIS | 18.10.13 | 10:08
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent
On October 17 Tsahkadzor hosted the 35th meeting of the Council of
heads of security and intelligence services of the CIS countries. The
same day, perhaps not as a coincidence, Yerevan saw a gathering of
heads of information and resource centers of NATO in post-Soviet
countries.
President Serzh Sargsyan met with both the heads of the delegations
attending the meeting of the CIS countries, and the special
representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South Caucasus
and Central Asia, James Appathurai. Sargsyan spoke with them about
common security threats, noting that the main challenges for Armenia
are the "escalation of confrontation, the rhetoric of hatred and an
arms race in conditions of prolonged unresolved conflicts."
The issue of security is becoming a dominant theme in the foreign
relations of Armenia. It is for security reasons that Armenia made
its decision to join the Russia-led Customs Union (even though it
is already a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
- CSTO).
If the main problem of Armenia's security is the arms race in the
region, then Armenia's security partners should be, in theory, the
countries and the alliances that contain this arms race. Meanwhile,
every day brings new information on military contracts between Russia
and Azerbaijan. In August, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev revealed that
the sum of these contacts has reached $4 billion.
With the beginning of the military conflict in the region in 1988
the United States adopted Section 907 to the Freedom Support Act,
banning the sale of arms to Azerbaijan. For 25 years now Baku has
failed to achieve the repealing of this section: its effect is only
partially suspended, and the weapons sold to Azerbaijan can only be
used for the protection of the Caspian Sea.
Meanwhile, Armenia continues to be in one and the same
military-political bloc with Russia, while its cooperation with NATO
is limited to Individual Partnership. Though, Armenian armed forces
have limited participation in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan
and Kosovo and Yerevan plans to continue promoting peacekeeping in
Afghanistan beyond 2014. However, Yerevan on every occasion declares
that it has no long-term goal of joining NATO. Though, while receiving
the NATO official in Yerevan, President Sargsyan said that close
cooperation with the Alliance significantly helps Armenia to improve
its system of defense and security.
It is noteworthy that the forums related to security take place
in Armenia in the period when there is a public discourse on the
likelihood of CSTO peacekeepers entering Karabakh and the transition
of Karabakh to the "zone of influence" of Russia. At the meeting
with Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian NATO's Appathurai
confirmed the Alliance's support for efforts being made by the OSCE
Minsk Group to resolve the problem.
Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Reis wished to meet
with Armenia's National Security Council Secretary Artur Baghdasaryan
the same day. Analysts believe that Iran is concerned about the rumored
intention to change the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
the possible stationing of foreign troops there. The Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic borders on Iran and Tehran will have to reckon with any
foreign troops in Nagorno-Karabakh.
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/49300/armenia_cis_security_nato_karabakh
ANALYSIS | 18.10.13 | 10:08
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent
On October 17 Tsahkadzor hosted the 35th meeting of the Council of
heads of security and intelligence services of the CIS countries. The
same day, perhaps not as a coincidence, Yerevan saw a gathering of
heads of information and resource centers of NATO in post-Soviet
countries.
President Serzh Sargsyan met with both the heads of the delegations
attending the meeting of the CIS countries, and the special
representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South Caucasus
and Central Asia, James Appathurai. Sargsyan spoke with them about
common security threats, noting that the main challenges for Armenia
are the "escalation of confrontation, the rhetoric of hatred and an
arms race in conditions of prolonged unresolved conflicts."
The issue of security is becoming a dominant theme in the foreign
relations of Armenia. It is for security reasons that Armenia made
its decision to join the Russia-led Customs Union (even though it
is already a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
- CSTO).
If the main problem of Armenia's security is the arms race in the
region, then Armenia's security partners should be, in theory, the
countries and the alliances that contain this arms race. Meanwhile,
every day brings new information on military contracts between Russia
and Azerbaijan. In August, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev revealed that
the sum of these contacts has reached $4 billion.
With the beginning of the military conflict in the region in 1988
the United States adopted Section 907 to the Freedom Support Act,
banning the sale of arms to Azerbaijan. For 25 years now Baku has
failed to achieve the repealing of this section: its effect is only
partially suspended, and the weapons sold to Azerbaijan can only be
used for the protection of the Caspian Sea.
Meanwhile, Armenia continues to be in one and the same
military-political bloc with Russia, while its cooperation with NATO
is limited to Individual Partnership. Though, Armenian armed forces
have limited participation in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan
and Kosovo and Yerevan plans to continue promoting peacekeeping in
Afghanistan beyond 2014. However, Yerevan on every occasion declares
that it has no long-term goal of joining NATO. Though, while receiving
the NATO official in Yerevan, President Sargsyan said that close
cooperation with the Alliance significantly helps Armenia to improve
its system of defense and security.
It is noteworthy that the forums related to security take place
in Armenia in the period when there is a public discourse on the
likelihood of CSTO peacekeepers entering Karabakh and the transition
of Karabakh to the "zone of influence" of Russia. At the meeting
with Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian NATO's Appathurai
confirmed the Alliance's support for efforts being made by the OSCE
Minsk Group to resolve the problem.
Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Reis wished to meet
with Armenia's National Security Council Secretary Artur Baghdasaryan
the same day. Analysts believe that Iran is concerned about the rumored
intention to change the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
the possible stationing of foreign troops there. The Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic borders on Iran and Tehran will have to reckon with any
foreign troops in Nagorno-Karabakh.