REGIONAL RIVALRY BECOMES THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK FOR ARMENIA

Interview of the leader of "Heritage" extraparliamentary oppositional party, the first Foreign Minister of independent Armenia, Raffi Hovannisian, to ArmInfo Agency.

- In your opinion, which geopolitical tendencies can be marked out in the Transcaucasian region at this stage and what are the challenges to Armenia in this context?

- They may be grouped and generally called a challenge of the region transformation, which is urgent for the Transcaucasian countries as well. The interest of the world power centers to the South-Caucasian region is continuously growing. The European Union becomes more and more interested in stability, steady development and safety of the states, covered by the new European neighborhood policy. The USA, Russia, Iran and Turkey are interested in the problem of keeping and maximum extension of their influence in the region. Our neighbors learn original lessons in this situation. Georgia begins to think of vast changing of its foreign policy vector, reorientation of its own political system. Both Georgia and Azerbaijan, having profited by the growing interest of superstates in the region, try involve them, as serious players, in a context of conflicts, concerning them, and thus to change a status-quo in the detriment of the opposing party. The political support, rendered to Azerbaijan in this context, has already become apparent: economic ability of our neighbors is growing, and successful appearance in such a competition becomes the pivotal task for Armenia. If the position around Iran be added to the above-stated, a number of serious issues arises before Armenia. First, how to change the political system of the country, the structures, participating in the state and democracy building, for our vital interests not to suffer from an abrupt or gradual change of geopolitical situation? Second, what the violation of status-quo will reduce to, to a war or a stable peace? Third, how to revise the policy in the Karabakh issue and what steps are to be undertaken? Fourth, on what and to what degree the accent should be made in the foreign policy of Armenia? Fifth, how to prevent the consistent isolation of the country from the regional programs, the demonstration of which is the construction of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railway? Sixth, what Strategy of national security is to be taken and how to respond to the new and old challenges of originality and security, which also include the Turkish-Armenian relations and the problem of Javakhk. At last, Armenia has to positively clarify itself in what region it would like to further live or it is going to get used to the imposed prospect of being within the frames of subsystem, created by other states.

- To what degree are the present authorities of Armenia able to respond to these challenges? If not, for what reason?

- The regime, ruling in Armenia, obediently accepts all the decisions, imposed from outside, without showing any initiative and disregarding the national and state interests. The present Armenian authorities give the state's strategic objects to a definite country, to retain the power, and call it a bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation. In fact, such deals threaten our relations with that state. Similarly, an attempt is made to please the West, saying, we turn towards you, but at the same time, they pretend to be an eternal friend of Russia. For example, the dispatch of the Armenian peacemaking contingent to Iraq had as its object not to fall under sight of the American administration and to redeem the earlier-made "promise". Or else, the RA President "negotiates" with his Azerbaijani counterpart only under pressure of the world community. In short, they throw dust in eyes of the world community, giving the impression they are interested in the Karabakh conflict settlement. Another example: if the European Union did not proclaim the region an area of strategic importance and did not declare the policy of the new European neighborhood, negotiating with authorities of three South-Caucasian countries, the thought of neighborhood, negotiating with authorities of three South-Caucasian countries, the thought of Armenia's being worthy to live in the European family would never occurred to our authorities, after all, the Armenian people is a creator and carrier of the European civilization values. The same concerns the relations with NATO since the joint programs are carried out with low efficiency and sometimes fail as not to anger the Moscow Kremlin. At the cost of a loss of authority and trust to the country, everything is falsified: the elections, corruption-fight, the poverty-reduction program, democratic reforms, criminality-fight, and everything else. The actual desire of authorities reduces to one: to feel feudal lords in a small country that turns into a khanate. It's a pity that the world community sometimes breaks "the blessing silence", demanding an observance of democracy principles from the governors.

- What is the role of the external factor in the Armenia's internal political life and in the Karabakh conflict settlement?

It's role is great. Let's pay attention to the fact that all the Armenian authorities had been changing until now on the Karabakh problem's wave. That's about all. The external factor plays a great role in the Karabakh problem settlement, that is caused by weakness of the inner potential to counteract the probability of undesirable development of events. Rather, the present authorities have achieved its weakening to a dangerous level and all the following development of events depends now, to an inadmissible degree, on the foreign world. If a war is profitable to it, the military operations will recommence, the isolation of Armenia will be profitable to the foreign world, the country will be isolated, etc. The people and the political forces have not to put up with such a state of affairs in this situation, for which it is necessary for the Karabakh conflict settlement prospects to depend upon Armenia and its people. In general, the fact of the present ruling regime of Armenia being in power hit the independence and sovereignty of NKR. The present authorities of the country, due to their egocentric approach and personal example, had tragically reduced the Artsakh liberation struggle to its imitation. Unfortunately, they did not receive a legal mandate of the public, which is necessary to respond to the challenges, thrown down by Azerbaijan and Turkey, in a worthy manner.

- Whether you agree with the existing opinion that the dependence of Armenia on Russia becomes more and more stronger from elections to elections and the country actually turns into a Russian outpost?

- In my opinion, the Armenian-Russian relations must undoubtedly obey the logic of mutual advantage. The cooperation between the two states is to be contansive and not come to an exciting brotherhood as it is sometimes characterized. The Armenians have a very good proverb: the friends but not the relatives are chosen. If Russia wishes to be chosen by Armenia as a strategic ally, it must behave as a good friend. Any friendship turns to be firm, when each side is strong individually. It is a sign of weakness to weaken the friend and pretend to be a brother. Unfortunately, such a philosophy underlies the present Russian-Armenian relations. The Russian authorities follow the way of weakening Armenia and strengthening its dependence on Russian Federation. When the RA authorities turned out in a deadlock, the present Russian authorities defended them, having not considered that it endangers the natural development of relations between the two peoples. Closing of the upper Lars and series of murders of our nationals in Russia are demonstrations of this policy. A cooperation is not an emotional-lyric category. It is to be mutually beneficial and be based on equal rights and liability. Otherwise, our cooperation won't last long. However, we believe a day will come when a democratic great Russia will be a real strategic and trusting partner of democratic sovereign Armenia, based on a community of interests.

Hovhannes Manukyan, ArmInfo, December 8, 2006.