Anna Nazaryan
Special Representative of NATO’s Secretary General for South Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai has concluded after his meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan that Armenia is ready to deepen the partnership with NATO.
Armenia and NATO will continue to deepen the cooperation, despite Armenia’s membership in CSTO and the decision to join the Customs Union.
“Armenia is Russia’s strategic partner and no one questions this, it’s a sovereign decision of Armenia,” Appathurai said.
Armenia is trying to implement a balanced policy and NATO is willing to support Armenia within the framework of its Open Door Policy. However, this should not be confused with full membership, he said.
President Serzh Sargsyan assured the NATO Representative that Armenia is willing to continue to participate in the peacekeeping operations within the framework of its partnership with NATO.
Enlargement into the former Soviet Union’s space has never been a political goal of NATO, Appathurai told a news conference in Yerevan.
NATO plays no role in the settlement of the Karabakh issue, but supports the resolution of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, Appathurai said. He’s assured there is no military solution to the Karabakh issue. According to him, all countries of the region will draw political and economic benefits from the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
