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'ROGUE' VOTE: ARMENIA BACKS ALLY RUSSIA OVER UN RESOLUTION ON UKRAINE
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/53083/armenia_united_nations_general_assembly_vote_ukrai ne_russia_crimea
ANALYSIS | 28.03.14 | 09:39
UN Photo
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday reaffirmed Ukraine's
territorial integrity and recognized as illegal the referendum in
Crimea that led to the peninsula's annexation by Russia.
Armenia voted against the anti-Russian resolution among 11 other
nations most of which are classed by the West as 'rogue regimes'.
Among them are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Syria,
Sudan, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Nicaragua. A hundred nations voted in
favor of the resolution, while 58 countries, including Brazil, South
Africa, China, India, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Vietnam, Egypt,
Uzbekistan and others, abstained from the vote. Several traditional
allies of Russia decided to opt out of the vote at all.
Among them are Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Israel, Serbia
and others.
Many observers have described yesterday's vote at the UN as 'political
segregation' as countries must decide who they side with - Russia,
which is being subjected to increasingly stringent sanctions, or the
West. Armenia has apparently chosen Russia and got itself in the list
of countries that the Western community considers to be 'rogue states'
and periodically subjects them to various sanctions.
The day before the vote RFE/RL's Armenian Service, quoting a source at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published a report according to which
Armenia had decided to abstain during the UN vote on Ukraine. This
caused a sigh of relief in Armenia as many considered such a position
to be optimal. However, later Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran
Balayan in an interview with the Russian news agency Regnum said
that Armenia is not in the habit of declaring in advance about how
it will vote. It became clear that Armenia would vote against the
anti-Russian resolution.
In an explanatory note before the vote Armenia's Representative
to the UN Karen Nazaryan said: "Armenia has consistently and over
years taken a principled position on the promotion of democracy,
freedoms and rights, including and in particular the equal rights
and self-determination of peoples as universal values and principles,
embraced by this Assembly, based on the UN Charter."
Some Armenian experts also pointed out that Armenia could not
vote "for" the UN resolution, because having the problem of a
self-determined, but unrecognized Karabakh, it could not support the
priority of the principle of territorial integrity over the right of
peoples to self-determination. However, a vote "against", according
to some observers, may result in the West extending its sanctions
also to Armenia.
It is even more so alarming considering that such votes are also
planned at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) session
in Strasbourg on April 7. The Assembly will consider depriving Russia
of its right to vote or suspending its membership. Deputy head of the
Russian delegation to the PACE Leonid Slutsky said that Russia itself
may move to withdraw from the PACE so that it is not "expelled under
enthusiastic hooting". Armenia will also need to clarify its position
in this upcoming vote.
Armenia is connected with Russia with very binding treaties, moreover,
the Armenian authorities evince a sort of personal loyalty to the
Russian leadership. Each vote at the UN was very important to Moscow.
After the vote representative of the Russian Federation to the
UN Vitaly Churkin noted with satisfaction that Russia was not in
isolation.
However, everyone seems to understand that too close ties with Russia
will inevitably lead to the worsening of the situation in Armenia.
Armenian Economy Minister Vahram Avanesyan said that if the sanctions
against Russia continue, Armenia will have to revise some of its
economic indicators.
From: Baghdasarian
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/53083/armenia_united_nations_general_assembly_vote_ukrai ne_russia_crimea
ANALYSIS | 28.03.14 | 09:39
UN Photo
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday reaffirmed Ukraine's
territorial integrity and recognized as illegal the referendum in
Crimea that led to the peninsula's annexation by Russia.
Armenia voted against the anti-Russian resolution among 11 other
nations most of which are classed by the West as 'rogue regimes'.
Among them are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Russia, Syria,
Sudan, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Nicaragua. A hundred nations voted in
favor of the resolution, while 58 countries, including Brazil, South
Africa, China, India, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Vietnam, Egypt,
Uzbekistan and others, abstained from the vote. Several traditional
allies of Russia decided to opt out of the vote at all.
Among them are Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Israel, Serbia
and others.
Many observers have described yesterday's vote at the UN as 'political
segregation' as countries must decide who they side with - Russia,
which is being subjected to increasingly stringent sanctions, or the
West. Armenia has apparently chosen Russia and got itself in the list
of countries that the Western community considers to be 'rogue states'
and periodically subjects them to various sanctions.
The day before the vote RFE/RL's Armenian Service, quoting a source at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published a report according to which
Armenia had decided to abstain during the UN vote on Ukraine. This
caused a sigh of relief in Armenia as many considered such a position
to be optimal. However, later Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran
Balayan in an interview with the Russian news agency Regnum said
that Armenia is not in the habit of declaring in advance about how
it will vote. It became clear that Armenia would vote against the
anti-Russian resolution.
In an explanatory note before the vote Armenia's Representative
to the UN Karen Nazaryan said: "Armenia has consistently and over
years taken a principled position on the promotion of democracy,
freedoms and rights, including and in particular the equal rights
and self-determination of peoples as universal values and principles,
embraced by this Assembly, based on the UN Charter."
Some Armenian experts also pointed out that Armenia could not
vote "for" the UN resolution, because having the problem of a
self-determined, but unrecognized Karabakh, it could not support the
priority of the principle of territorial integrity over the right of
peoples to self-determination. However, a vote "against", according
to some observers, may result in the West extending its sanctions
also to Armenia.
It is even more so alarming considering that such votes are also
planned at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) session
in Strasbourg on April 7. The Assembly will consider depriving Russia
of its right to vote or suspending its membership. Deputy head of the
Russian delegation to the PACE Leonid Slutsky said that Russia itself
may move to withdraw from the PACE so that it is not "expelled under
enthusiastic hooting". Armenia will also need to clarify its position
in this upcoming vote.
Armenia is connected with Russia with very binding treaties, moreover,
the Armenian authorities evince a sort of personal loyalty to the
Russian leadership. Each vote at the UN was very important to Moscow.
After the vote representative of the Russian Federation to the
UN Vitaly Churkin noted with satisfaction that Russia was not in
isolation.
However, everyone seems to understand that too close ties with Russia
will inevitably lead to the worsening of the situation in Armenia.
Armenian Economy Minister Vahram Avanesyan said that if the sanctions
against Russia continue, Armenia will have to revise some of its
economic indicators.
From: Baghdasarian