International Conference

«Conflicts in the Caucasus: History, the Present and Prospects for Resolution»

Baku (Azerbaijan) 22-23 October, 2012 and Tbilisi (Georgia) 25-26 October, 2012

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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Sergey MINASIAN

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Sergey Minasian, Ph.D. (Hist.), director of the Scientific-Research Center of the Southern Caucasus’ Regional Security and Integration Problems, researcher at the Institute of History, Republic of Armenia National Academy of Sciences (Erevan, Armenia)

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1. Armenia’s Cooperation with International Organizations

In 2005, Armenia actively built up its cooperation with the leading international organizations, the U.N., OSCE, and Council of Europe in particular. In so doing, the republic placed its priorities on becoming more involved in international political and socioeconomic processes; on procuring assistance from international organizations in building democracy and creating democratic institutions; on improving the socioeconomic and political situation in the country; on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; on normalizing relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan; on enhancing regional political and economic cooperation; and on implementing humanitarian and cultural-educational programs.

On 15-17 May, President Robert Kocharian paid a working visit to Warsaw, where he took part in the third summit of the Council of Europe member states. He spoke before the Council and also held several bilateral meetings, including with the presidents of Slovakia, Lithuania, Cyprus, and Georgia. During these meetings, the discussion focused on expanding interstate ties by means of cooperation and a livelier exchange of experience. What is more, Robert Kocharian met with European Commissioner for Foreign Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner and discussed with him the possibility of drawing up and adopting a European Union Action Plan for Armenia. With respect to the European community’s involvement in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the PACE resolution prepared by David Atkinson and adopted in January should also be mentioned.

An important component of Armenia’s relations with European and international organizations is their participation, this particularly applies to the Council of Europe and the OSCE, in making preparations for and holding the referendum held on 27 November to introduce amendments into the Armenian Constitution.

2. The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Nagorno-Karabakh continued to be a key element in the country’s foreign policy. On 11 January, a meeting was held in Prague between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Vardan Oskanian and Elmar Mamediarov, along with the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The sides also met separately with the OSCE MG cochairmen. This laid the foundation for the so-called Prague Process, which with certain modifications became the main format of the talks in 2005 on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

On 14 May, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian met in Krakow with the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group to discuss issues within the framework of the Prague Process. And on 15 May, Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliev met in Warsaw for private talks and also held a meeting with the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, at which they discussed settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Experts noted that this meeting was an important milestone in the negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh.

What is more, on 27 August, Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliev met in Kazan. The talks began with the foreign ministers of both countries and the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, and then continued in private, after which the foreign ministers and OSCE MG cochairmen joined them again.

In the fall, the International Crisis Group (ICG) put forward a new initiative on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after preparing two reports with recommendations on the problem.¹ The foreign policy departments of both states reacted correspondingly to these reports, but it was obvious that 2005 would not be the year for bringing the talks to any definite conclusion. Nevertheless, the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen and several representatives of the conflicting sides give reason to hope that if all goes well, 2006 might become a turning point in peaceful settlement of the conflict.

3. Armenia’s European Integration and Bilateral Relations with the European States

Armenia officially declared the prime importance of the European vector in its foreign policy. Whereby this supremacy is manifested regardless of whether it joins the European Union or not. This was prompted by the EU’s decision to include Armenia (along with the other two South Caucasian countries) in its European Neighborhood Policy initiative (ENP). What is more, a pivotal point in Armenia’s interrelations with the EU was the European Commission’s publication on 2 March of the South Caucasian Country Reports.

During the preparations for drawing up this document, EU Special Representative for the Southern Caucasus Heikki Talvitie arrived in Erevan on 24 January on his tour of the region, where he met with President Robert Kocharian, Security Council Secretary and Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, and Minister of Justice David Arutiunian.

On 27-30 January, on an invitation from President of the Italian Republic Karlo Adzelio Champi, Armenian President Robert Kocharian paid an official visit to Italy. At their meeting in Rome, the two presidents discussed bilateral relations, and regional and international problems. A special topic of discussion was Armenia’s European integration. Robert Kocharian confirmed that Armenia is looking forward to developing relations with the European Union on a more serious note under the European Neighborhood Policy, and the Italian president assured him that his country would help Armenia to integrate into the EU, as well as assist the progress and peaceful future of the Armenian people. The main topics Robert Kocharian discussed with the prime minister and the chairmen of the Italian senate and lower house of parliament were enhancing bilateral political and economic relations and Armenia’s European integration. In Vatican Robert Kocharian was hosted by Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Angelo Sodano. The President met also with the Catholicos of the Catholics of the Cilician See Patriarch T. Nerses-Poghos and observed the newly installed statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator. In Venice, Robert Kocharian met with the city mayor and representatives of the local Armenian community, and visited Murad Rafaelian College and the Mkhitarist order on the island of St. Lazarus.

Within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy, on 2 March the European Commission finished preparing the ENP Country Reports for the South Caucasian countries, which should become the basis for drawing up Individual Action Plans for these countries in cooperation with the EU in the ENP format. On the whole, the European Commission positively assessed both the general level of cooperation between the EU and official Erevan, and Armenia’s level of development in all the areas under consideration. The main emphasis in Armenia’s Country Report was placed on the underdevelopment of democratic institutions and on the need to continue efforts to bring the legislation of Armenia into harmony with European standards.

On 20-23 April, Armenian President Robert Kocharian made a working visit to France, where he met with Chairman of the National Assembly of this country Jean-Louis Debre and Senate Chairman Christian Ponsle and discussed a broad range of bilateral relations issues and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. President Robert Kocharian also met with the French cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Facier.

On 26-28 September, on the invitation of Robert Kocharian, President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen made an official visit to Armenia. The heads of both countries discussed Armenia’s bilateral relations and cooperation with the EU and regional problems, and they also exchanged opinions on urgent international issues. Tarja Halonen welcomed Armenia’s involvement in the European Union’s ENP program and noted that in its foreign policy her country is placing high priority on developing relations with the South Caucasian states, particularly keeping in mind that in 2006 Finland will be chairing in the European Union. The Armenian-Finnish talks continued in an extended format, at which the priority areas of economic cooperation and the possibilities of stimulating them were discussed.

On 6-8 October, on the invitation of Robert Kocharian, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga made an official visit to Armenia. The main purpose of the visit was to stimulate the development of interstate relations, enhance cooperation, and designate priority areas in economic interaction. The heads of both countries discussed aspects of cooperation in the Armenia-EU format and regional problems, exchanged opinions on urgent international issues, signed a joint communiqué and intergovernmental agreements on the stimulation and mutual protection of investments and on mutual assistance in customs issues, as well as an interdepartmental document on cooperation in culture, and also spoke at a joint press conference. In addition, during the visit, the Latvian president met with the chairman of the National Assembly and the Armenian prime minister, and an Armenian-Latvian business forum was held at this time, which the heads of both countries attended.

A key event of the year, which was of special significance for the development of Armenia’s European integration and its relations with the European structures, was Robert Kocharian’s visit to Brussels. Within the framework of this visit, the Armenian president met on 20 October with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. During their talks in a private and enlarged format, the current state and prospects for developing Armenian-Belgian trade and economic relations were discussed. The sides stressed the importance of the fact that Belgium occupies first place in terms of Armenia’s export volume to the European Union countries. And the main topics of Robert Kocharian’s meeting with President of the Belgian Senate Anne-Marie Lizin were expanding bilateral cooperation and issues relating to Belgium’s chairmanship in the OSCE. What is more, Anne-Marie Lizin welcomed the constitutional reform in Armenia and noted that this reform makes it possible to establish more sophisticated institutional relations both within the country and beyond it, as well as improve the situation in the human rights sphere. At a meeting with European Parliament President Jozep Borell-Fontels, President Kocharian discussed the European integration problem relating to the drawing up of an EU Individual Action Plan for Armenia.

Robert Kocharian also discussed Armenia-European Union cooperation and questions relating to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in depth at his meeting with EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. Within the framework of this same visit, on 21 October, Robert Kocharian also met with European Commission President José Manuel Barosso. During their meeting, they discussed issues relating to the EU European Neighborhood Policy Program, the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Armenia’s foreign relations, and constitutional reform in Armenia. Both sides assessed this reform as an important guarantee of Armenia’s future development and its further democratization.

At the beginning of October, head of the representative office of the European Commission in Georgia and Armenia, Ambassador Torben Holtse, said that even before the end of the month discussion would begin of the Action Plans presented by the South Caucasian countries within the ENP program.

4. Stepping Up Euro-Atlantic Integration and Intensifying Partnership with NATO

In 2005, Armenia entered a new phase of integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures, including with respect to expanding its relations with NATO. It is worth noting that this process was intensified a few years ago and does not interfere with the republic’s military and strategic partnership with Russia. According to Armenia’s leaders, the Russian Federation is systemically moving closer to the North Atlantic Alliance, interacting with Brussels in different formats, and participating in joint exercises. What is more, official Erevan is emphasizing that it does not intend to join NATO as its full-fledged member.

Nevertheless, although Armenia’s cooperation with NATO began as early as the republic’s first years of independence, its contacts with this organization, before the mid-1990s, were very limited. Only its gradual incorporation into NATO’s Partnership for Peace program (PfP) and participation in several of the Alliance’s structures made it possible to accelerate the Euro-Atlantic integration going on in Armenia. But, for all intents and purposes, 2005 marked a turning point in this cooperation, not only with respect to the more frequent contacts between Armenian officials and society and NATO structures at all levels, but also in terms of the new stage in institutionalization of the republic’s relations with this organization after official Erevan submitted its Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian presented the Alliance leadership with a corresponding presentational document in Brussels on 16 June. The foreign minister said that this event would open a new page in Armenia’s relations with NATO and become a cornerstone in the development of their relations. According to Armenia’s military-political leadership, the main reforms planned within the framework of the IPAP and the cooperation mechanisms with NATO to implement them are as follows: regular consultations with the Alliance on regional security issues, drawing up a national security strategy, preparing a military doctrine, improving defense and budget planning, ensuring interaction with NATO forces on an operative level, improving military education, introducing automatic command systems into the Armenian armed forces, developing communication and interaction systems with NATO, developing defense science, improving the personnel control system, involving the broad public in defense issues, strengthening democratic monitoring mechanisms, interdepartmental blending of spheres relating to defense and the fight against terrorism, carrying out environmental assignments, and so on.

The Armenian president’s above-mentioned visit to Brussels and his meeting with the Alliance’s Secretary General on 21 October were extremely important in terms of intensifying cooperation between Armenia and NATO. During this meeting, Robert Kocharian and Jaap de Hoop Scheffer discussed in detail the provisions of Armenia’s Individual Partnership Action Plan with this organization and emphasized the importance of official Erevan’s participation in several programs being implemented within the Alliance, in particular the activity of Armenia’s peacekeeping forces in Kosovo. What is more, the individual approach was emphasized in Armenia-NATO relations and the significance of the complementarity principle was noted, meaning the sides’ relations with Russia.

Contacts in the Armenia-NATO format became particularly active at the end of the year. For example, on 9 December the Individual Partnership Action Plan was discussed at a joint meeting of NATO’s Political Committee and Military-Political Committee held in Brussels. The Armenian side was represented by the country’s deputy defense minister, Lieutenant General Artur Agabekian, deputy foreign minister Arman Kirakosian, Armenian Ambassador to NATO Samvel Mkrtchian, and the republic’s military representative in the Alliance, Colonel Davit Tonoian. As early as 18 December, Armenia’s Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO came into force.

5. Relations with Turkey

Relations between Erevan and Ankara were determined by the undertakings relating to the 90th anniversary of the tragic events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire. Their recognition as genocide was an urgent issue on the agenda of Armenian diplomacy. On 13 April, during the hearings held on this issue in the Turkish parliament, the country’s foreign minister Abdullah Gul said that the country’s prime minister Recep Erdogan had sent Robert Kocharian a letter asking him to create a joint commission (with the participation of historians) to study this problem. In a return letter, the Armenian President rejected the initiative of the Turkish side, proposing instead to create an Armenian-Turkish intergovernmental commission, which could also discuss this question among other things. It was also suggested that President Kocharian and Prime Minister Erdogan could discuss the development of bilateral relations during their meeting planned, according to different sources, for15-16 May in Warsaw, that is, during the Council of Europe summit, but this meeting did not take place. Nevertheless, in 2005, contacts were made between representatives of Armenian and Turkish sociopolitical circles, during which bilateral relations were discussed, including with respect to the opening up of the borders. In particular, on 12 June, a meeting was held in Erevan between a delegation of the parliamentary faction of the Turkish ruling party headed by Turhan Comez and a representative of the Dashnaktsutiun party bureau, Kiro Manoian, as well as a meeting between Turkish parliamentary deputies and deputies of the Armenian National Assembly.

6. Intensified Cooperation with the U.S.

Within the framework of Armenia’s foreign policy priorities, its relations with the United States continued to actively develop, particularly with respect to the political dialog and the trade and economic and military-political spheres. The agreements reached contributed to the humanitarian and technical aid the U.S. offered Armenia, as well as to confirmation of the amount of military aid being allotted to Erevan, to involving Armenia in the Millennium Challenge Program, and to adopting a law on establishing permanent trade ties with Armenia. Export from Armenia to the U.S. perceptibly increased.

Active cooperation is also continuing within the framework of the antiterrorist coalition. In this respect, sending a limited contingent of Armenian servicemen (46 people, mainly military drivers and sappers) to Iraq as part of the international peacekeeping forces on 18 January was of great significance. An important event in the military-political sphere was the official visit of secretary of the National Security Council under the Armenian President, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian to the United States. During this visit, on 29 October, he met with Pentagon Head Donald Rumsfeld, president of the National Defense University General Michael Dann, Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Richard Lugar, and Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns. Experts note that this visit was an important milestone in strengthening bilateral relations in the military-political sphere, as well as with respect to Armenia’s participation in the international antiterrorist coalition.

On the whole, it can be maintained that in 2005, the United States continued to render Armenia political, military, and economic aid. Special mention should be made of the efforts exerted to carry out projects relating to Armenia’s participation in the U.S. State Department’s Millennium Challenge Program, which envisages granting significant funds (235.65 million dollars) to Armenia’s socioeconomic development. As Armenian Deputy Minister of Finance and Economics Tigran Khachatrian said at a press conference held in Erevan on 20 December, 145.67 million of this sum will be used to restore and modernize the irrigation system, 67.1 million to reconstruct roads in rural areas, about five million for monitoring and evaluating the work carried out under the program, and 17.79 million dollars for command and control. According to the American side, the program will lower the level of rural poverty by developing corresponding infrastructure and management and directly affect 75% of the rural residents, as a result of which in 2010 their annual income will increase by a total of 36 million dollars, and by 2015 by more than 113 million dollars.

7. Armenian-Russian Relations and Cooperation in the Post-Soviet Space

During the year, interrelations with Russia continued to be one of the top priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy, in particular, relations developed and intensified in the military-political, trade and economic, and humanitarian spheres. Close cooperation also continued within the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

On 16 February, Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov paid a two-day official visit to Erevan. He said that he discussed bilateral and regional problems, approaches to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as questions relating to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Armenia at his meetings with the Armenian leadership.

On 24 March, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin made a working visit to Erevan. During this visit, attention was focused on questions relating to bilateral relations. What is more, the Russian leader took part in the opening ceremony of the Year of Russia in Armenia celebrations.

On 23 June, Robert Kocharian took part in the regular session of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Council held in Moscow, which looked at the priority areas in the CSTO’s activity, the military-political situation in the CSTO’s zone of responsibility, and the Organization’s prospective tasks. The summit ended in the heads of the member states signing 11 documents and a political communiqué. The adopted decisions envisage stepping up the fight against terrorism, the illicit circulation of drugs, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The presidents endorsed the CSTO’s plan of priority measures for the near future, the program for comprehensive strengthening of interstate cooperation within the Treaty framework for 2006-2010, as well as the formation and development of the collective security system. Decisions were made on creating a coordinating council of heads of the competent bodies of the CSTO member states for fighting the illicit circulation of drugs, as well as for developing and further improving the air defense system of the Organization’s member states.

On 26 August, Robert Kocharian took part in a regular meeting of the Council of the heads of CIS member states held in Kazan, in which the foreign ministers also participated along with the presidents of the Commonwealth countries. The main topic of discussion was reform and improvement of the CIS structures. During the meeting, more than 10 documents were signed calling for an enlargement of the regulatory and legal basis of cooperation among the Commonwealth republics in the political and military sphere.

Head of the Russian Government Mikhail Fradkov and Chairman of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov paid official visits to Erevan in December. The meeting between heads of state Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharian on 16 December in Sochi was also of immense importance. Among the other questions discussed by the Russian and Armenian presidents, the most important one was setting the price of gas delivered to Armenia by Russia’s Gazprom Company.

On the whole, in 2005, both bilateral Armenian-Russian relations and Armenia’s cooperation with the CIS states (including within the framework of the CSTO) enjoyed steady development and enhancement.

8. Armenia-Georgia: Traditional Good-Neighborly Relations in Search of a New Modus Vivendi

Last year, several agreements were reached in implementing joint economic and communication projects, as well as investment plans with the participation of Armenian capital in Georgia. What is more, the events relating to the withdrawal of Russia’s military bases from Georgia and the situation in Samtskhe-Javakhetia, where most of the population is Armenian, set the tone for the political contacts between the leaders of these countries.

Along with the permanent contacts at the governmental and interdepartmental level, regular meetings between the heads of state, including in an unofficial setting, were also of great significance. For example, after the situation in Samtskhe-Javakhetia became aggravated, President Robert Kocharian went to Georgia on 1 April, and on 21-22 August, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili visited Armenia. During the last visit, the two presidents discussed Armenian-Georgian relations and the socioeconomic situation in Samtskhe-Javakhetia at the Armenian president’s summer residence, on the shores of Lake Sevan. On the whole, it can be noted that during the year, the sides searched for a new format of relations in order to adjust certain aspects of the two countries’ approaches, which at present do not entirely coincide, to the current geopolitical and economic conditions. According to some experts, Armenia and Georgia’s European integration processes could become an important stabilizing factor in bilateral cooperation in the future, particularly within the framework of the EU’s new ENP program.

9. Intensifying Relations with Iran

On 8 February, a meeting was held in Tehran between Iranian President Seied Mohammad Khatami and Secretary of the National Security Council, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian. The Iranian President said that the countries of the region can settle their differences without mediation and at the top level, whereby Iran is ready if necessary to participate in resolving the problems between neighbors. The same day, Serge Sarkisian met with Iran’s Expediency Council Chairman Hashemi Rafsanjani.

At the end of March-beginning of April 2005, building of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline began, and on 15 May, representatives of both countries reached an agreement on building two power stations in the border area on the River Araks. A decision on this matter was adopted in Tehran at the seventh meeting of the joint Iranian and Armenian technical committee. In compliance with the agreement reached, the first power station with a capacity of 130 MWT and a tunnel of 18.3 km in length will be built in Armenia, and the second station with a capacity of 140 MWT in Iran.

Artashes Tumanian, head of the Armenian presidential administration and cochairman of the intergovernmental commission on coordinating Armenian-Iranian relations discussed the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the socioeconomic, energy, and political spheres during his visit to Iran. On 15 November, he was the first high-ranking Armenian official to meet with the new president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During this meeting, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underlined the close bilateral relations and noted that friendship, mutual assistance, and stronger peace must be achieved among the countries of the Caspian basin. The possibilities of increasing contacts between the two countries were also discussed, particularly in the energy sphere, including with respect to completing the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline and further cooperation in the import of energy resources. On 6 December, an Iranian delegation arrived in Armenia headed by IRI Energy Minister Parviz Fattah. The delegation was received by head of the Armenian presidential administration and cochairman of the Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission Artashes Tumanian. During the meeting, the sides discussed economic cooperation, in particularly aspects relating to the energy sphere. Artashes Tumanian said that at the meeting of the Armenian commission members the implementation of joint programs was discussed and proposals which will be presented in January 2006 at a joint meeting in Tehran formed. During the talks with the Iranian energy minister, the main attention was focused on three main projects: extending the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, building a third high-voltage power transmission line between the two countries, and completing the fifth block of the Razdan Hydropower Plant with participation of the Iranian side.

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¹ See: Nagorno-Karabakh: Viewing the Conflict from the Ground, Europe Report, No. 166, International Crisis Group, Tbilisi/Brussels, 14 September, 2005. _{Back to text}