The
Minister of Defense Serge Sargsian made a speech yesterday in "Rous-Rout"
seminar."Neither war nor peace situation exerts influence upon development
of the region, it is the result of unsettled conflict for that reason military
factor has its great role in the state building. Martial declarations of our neighbor
country prevent the comprehensive development of our country,"- the Minister
of Defense Serge Sargsian declared in the "Rous-Rout" seminar of NATO
yesterday. In this conditions Armenia can’t realize defending reforms as reform
considers reduce of number of military powers or professional army; "Today
having a great number of military forces becomes of paramount importance, the
problem of national interest and security of the population is the most important
necessity,"- Mr. Sargsian said and added that when Azerbaijan redoubles its
military expenses and technical possibilities, Armenia can’t stay abstainer. For
that reason Armenia has a close alliance with the RF, it negotiates with the USA
and NATO. The RF representative Viktor Ozerov was interested during the discussion
that how it was effective that Armenia tried to put its security into several
baskets at the same time. "Armenia doesn’t put its security into different
baskets, Armenia completes its basket with different ingredients",- Serge
Sargsian opposed. "South Caucasus has been the region of collision of superpowers’
interests, which has left its trace on the states of the region,"- the RA
Minister of Defense noticed. He alluded that superpowers sometimes create hostilities
and hatred for achieving their imperial interests and nowadays situation in South
Caucasus is just its result and carries the influence of interests’ rivalry. The
Minister divided threatens of the region into two parts; balanced and unbalanced.
Balanced threatens are international terrorism, unbalanced threatens are conflicts,
closed ways, intolerance, collisions among nations etc. "In settling the
NK conflict we are led by the principle of "Collaboration in favor of peace"
proposing to reach to the atmosphere of mutual confidence and establishment of
stability by collaboration which is the first precondition of settling the conflict.
Azerbaijan acts just in the opposite way, it connects the beginning of collaboration
by settling the conflict and refuses any proposal of collaboration till the settlement
of the conflict", – the Minister of Defense said.Answering to "Aravot’s"
question whether the Minister didn’t notice that the representative of Russia
is seemed to be offended that Armenia tries to solve the problems of its security
in several fronts, the Minister said; "No, I haven’t seen such a thing because
the reforms, the activities with the structures of NATO neither damage nor prevent
our collaboration round the "Agreement of Collected Security". That
organization has a military element and it is very essential for the member-countries
of the organization, which have such an element for their partners to be effective.
If we are more effective we’ll be more useful why must I be offended? We also
noticed that the representative of the "International Group of Crisises"
was affirming the day before that the problem of Karabakh status would be discussed
after solving all other problems. Does it mean that the most important issue will
remain unsettled that non pro-Armenian settlement is being discussed. Serge Sargsian
opposed; "If you think that "International Center of Crises is completely
informed or solve problems itself, you are simply a little mistaken. Second if
you want us periodically say that we’ll go to the settlement which is profitable
for us then I declare again, yes, we’ll go to such a settlement which is profitable
for our nation and which settles the problem which was raised in 1988."Serge
Sargsian answering also to the question if the latter is informed from where the
private means of Army officers come he said; "I don’t know anyone in armed
forces that has great private means, can you say without proofs, I can’t".
Then he added immediately; "I don’t say that all officers of armed forces
live only with their pays, certainly the members of their families, different
persons carry out different activities. That means if a man is a major, lieutenant
colonel or a general, must his family members or relatives be tabooed for being
engaged in business."Margaret Yesayan