President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has given interview to the Russian newspaper Commersant after his official visit to Moscow. The reporter asked Sargsyan whether it was a coincidence that the NATO week in Armenia started on the day of his visit to Moscow. Serzh Sargsyan assures that Armenia does not tend to become a member of NATO and the NATO week in Armenia coincided with the term of his visit to Moscow. Herein we are presenting some parts of the interview.
– We have always said and will keep saying that there is no provision concerning becoming a member of the NATO in the foreign policies of Armenia… Now we are a member of another treaty organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and there are Russian military forces and facilities in our territory, thus our wishes to become a member of the NATO will be considered as an anti-Russian step. If so, we must have serious grounds for that.
– Aren’t there such grounds yet?
– No. But without the word “yet”. In this case it is not the appropriate word. Our armed forces have been formed based on the soviet doctrine, which armaments are soviet and Russian…
– Armenia and Azerbaijan are occupied in purchasing armaments so actively that monitors don’t exclude the possibility of military solution of the Karabakh conflict.
– It is not excluded. Even more, in conditions when the authorities of Azerbaijan are speaking of possibilities to settle the conflict through a war. I think that in the country at least two officials, the general commander and the defense minister, must think that there is possibility that a war may start even tomorrow… Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of Azerbaijan and was united with Azerbaijan only based on a party decision. I am saying this because I often hear people saying that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should be protected, and the international law guarantees that. What about the right of self-determination of nations?
– If you are advocating for the right of self-determination of people, why haven’t you spoken about this approach concerning the issue of Kosovo?
– We are trying not to make such announcements, which are against the principal approaches of our allies. In such case we mean the CSTO allies. On the other hand, we appreciate the resolution of performing that right, and Kosovo is one more example how people can reach self-determination.
– It seems there are two different things here. On the one hand you seem to be happy for Kosovo’s independence, on the other hand you don’t recognize it.
– We have never said that we don’t recognize it.
– But you don’t say that you recognize either.
– I think that everything has its time.
– You have invited Dmitri Medvedev to visit Armenia. However, he is going to visit Azerbaijan first. Aren’t you jealous?
– I paid an official visit to Moscow and had good negotiations with the president and prime-minister. I don’t think that it is right if the president visits Armenia just tomorrow. There is no jealousy. There is belief that improvement of the Russian-Azerbaijani relations cannot affect the Armenian-Russian relations.
– Why did you meet with Vladimir Putin as well? Didn’t the meeting with Medvedev solve all the problems?
– Of course it solved the problems. I think that it is a normal thing that the president of such ally country is having meetings both with the president, prime minister and the chairman of the parliament of the other country. Putin has been president of Russia for two terms, and many issues that need to be finished started during his tenure, I thought it due to me to discuss those issues with him.
– Gazprom is going to increase the prices of gas supply for all CIS countries, including its ally country Armenia. How much will this increase be for you?
– We understand the moods of Gazprom and accept the announcements that issues will not be solved on a political level. It would be better for us if this increase of prices was slight. We should not forget about the fact that the gas supplied by Gazprom is sold in Armenia by ArmRusGazArd company, which has reached its highest goal and gasified about 90% of our country. Gazprom owes 70% in that company and I think that the Russian monopolistic company will take into consideration the interests of that company as well. I strongly believe that we will transform to the European market prices slightly.
– How much was the price increased for your country? As far as I know the price of one cubic meter is 110 dollar.
– I don’t want to speak about the prices until those arrangements are not undersigned and ratified on a paper. However, I believe that such increase of prices will not result in serious shock.
– There are rumors saying that the price of one cubic meter will be 165 dollar. Is it true?
– Maybe. Also we should take into consideration the fact that we have an agreement on excluding double taxation. We have ratified that agreement and are waiting for Russia to ratify it as well. In a word, we will be able to cut the final prices by 18%.
– The Russian railways company, which has taken the Armenian Railways under concession management, assures that they have very good projects and will recover the connection with Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan through Georgia. Is it realistic?
– The only thing that prevents trade exchange is the absence of ground connection. We are importing products by ferry boats, which means that we are making extra expenses. I see some positive changes in the relations with Turkey. If we open the borders there will be new prosperities and opportunities. Also I understand that Turkey will talk to us through the prism of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, but the world is moving and we should not stay back.
– Moscow has started recovering a part of the Abkhazian railway, which also connects Armenia with Russia. Are you happy for that?
– I think that besides the political decision, certain physical work should be done too. The faster it operates the better it will be. We should recover it and make arrangements with Georgia concerning it.
– Georgia is against it.
– I don’t think they strictly say no. In the near future I will meet with my Georgian colleague and will discuss that issue with him.
– Last week the opposition started organizing demonstration events. The opposition is demanding to investigate the reasons of the killings during the events of March 1 and set political detainees free. Are the authorities ready for debate?
– The opposition has not stopped its demonstration and protesting events. Armenia is a free country and the citizens of Armenia have the right to express their opinions in media. Street demonstrations are a way of expressing such opinions. As for releasing prisoners, my approach is the following: people who have not committed serious crimes and their guiltiness is not proven should be set free. By the way, many of them have been set free in the recent period.
– Do you think that the fact of applying power against the people protesting against you was justified?
– Applying power would result in more victims and the results would be worse. Such power was applied not on the participants of the demonstrations, but people who were damaging and breaking shops, shooting at the police and throwing explosion materials at the police and security officers. What should we do in such case? There were no shootings at the demonstration participants, the shootings were in one kilometer distance far from them. The demonstrators were the ones who used power on the police protecting the civic order.
– Has the investigation body proven that all the killed people were robbers?
– It is not a fact. However, it is an established fact that all those ten people died in one kilometer distance far from the square. The investigation work is still in process and I think that everything will be clarified. The investigation works of three cases have proven that those people died as a result of using special things. Either those things were out of date or they did not use those things correctly. The investigation will make it clear.
– When?
– There are no concrete dates, however I think that it will be in autumn. We do our best to achieve higher credibility toward the authorities than now. It is the most important thing for me.