Addressing the Fletcher community at the
ASEAN auditorium, the Armenian Foreign Minister explains how
global and regional rivalries in the Caucasus have influenced
Armenian foreign policymaking.
Fletcher alum and the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vartan
Oskanian praised the School’s interdisciplinary curriculum for
preparing him to participate in the Armenian state building
process during the chaotic, indescribably challenging aftermath
of the collapse of the USSR in the Caucasus. He observed that
because ethnic conflicts, uneven distribution of wealth,
particularly oil, superpower rivalry in the region, and
underdeveloped economies make the Caucasus inherently unstable,
Armenia has sought to reconcile pursuing its national interests
with regional peace and stability by adopting the notion of
complementarity-- refusing to choose between different sides,
powers, and interests; resolution of the Nagorny Karabakh dispute
with Azerbaijan, and improving relations with Turkey.
Characterizing the Nagorny Karabakh conflict as a struggle for
self determination, Oskanian noted that at present the
international community, particularly the European institutions
mandated to mediate between the parties, resists the breakup of a
state when a secessionist group within the territory of the state
seeks to exercise its right of self determination. In case of
Nagorny Karabakh, the mediators have so far been looking for a
peaceful resolution that would retain the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan while guaranteeing the Armenians in Nagorny
Karabakh political, civil, and human rights. But, these efforts
are doomed to fail, because Armenians in Nagorny Karabakh have
already secured and sustained such rights for seven years after
the 1994 ceasefire. The Armenian Foreign Minister also argued
that finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict has become
more difficult when Turkey acts as Azerbaijan’s big uncle and
provides blanket support for Azerbaijan’s claims. Yet, he assured
the audience that contrary to the belief widely held in
Azerbaijan and Turkey, the closure of Armenian-Turkish border has
not caused the imminent collapse of the Armenian economy.
Therefore, the argument that weak economy will force Armenia to
abandon its current position on Nagorny Karabakh is misguided.
Finally, Oskanian stressed that Nagorny Karabakh has never been,
and can never be part of an independent Azerbaijan.
The Armenian Foreign Minister demonstrated complementarity in
foreign policymaking when he answered the audience’s questions
about the relations between Armenia and the U.S., Iran, and Iraq.
While pledging full support for the U.S. war on terrorism and
alleging that certain presence of 5000 Mujahedin in Azerbaijan
who had fought against Armenians in Nagorny Karabakh is
documented, the Minister hailed the Iranian foreign policy in the
region as extremely fair and even handed. Maintaining that the
Iranian foreign policy has contributed to regional peace and
stability, he said that he saw no reason for a change in the
current relations between Armenia and Iran, and hoped for a
rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran. He pointed out that
Armenia is the first to benefit from such a rapprochement and if
asked, would mediate between the two countries. When asked why
Armenia maintains amicable relations with Iraq, he answered that
he had no problems with the term amicable, but emphasized that
there is not much economic and commercial ties between Armenia
and Iraq at present. Answering a few questions about the
Armenian-Turkish relations, he indicated that Armenia seeks
normalization of ties with Turkey without preconditions while
actively promoting the recognition of 1915 genocide in interstate
diplomacy and international organizations. Oskanian also ruled
out a unilateral declaration by Armenia on the validity of the
1920 treaty that establishes the current borders between Armenia
and Turkey, so long as there is no diplomatic relations between
the two sides. |
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