ECONOMIC ‘INTRUSION’ OF RUSSIA USEFUL FOR ARMENI

[MosJan]

ECONOMIC ‘INTRUSION’ OF RUSSIA USEFUL FOR ARMENIA

Armenian ambassador to Russia Suren Sahakian assures that Armenian-Russian strategic-political relations remain on a high level

Q: Mr. Sahakian, for the first time in the last 10 years Russian president pays an official visit to Armenia. The current Yerevan-Moscow strategic cooperation, especially the coming September 14-16 visit of Russian president Vladimir Putin to Armenia, show the high level of relations between the two countries. In your opinion what can the visit of Russian president give to Armenian-Russian relations?

 

A: Our relations with Russia are really on a very high level, but they develop only in several directions- military, political, cultural and economic. Armenian-Russian economic relations didn’t reach such a level as Yerevan-Moscow strategic-political cooperation, though. Russia is our strategic partner, and that reality is expressed in many documents signed between the two countries. Because of blockade imposed on Armenia by its neighbor countries, absence of common border and transport isolation the Armenian-Russian economic relations didn’t reach the level they could have. As you know Armenia has debts to Russia, which can be paid off in several ways- creating joint enterprises instead of paying off the state debt or delivering parts of shares of some Armenian enterprises to the Russian side. This will bring to increase of Armenian products’ share in Russian market, and opening of new jobs in Armenia. We expect that Putin’s visit to Armenia will boost Armenian-Russian economic relations.

 

Q: Mr. Sahakian, it has been talked about a ‘paradoxical’ situation created in Armenian-Russian relations during Putin’s presidency, and sometimes ARmenian-Russian relations are described as ‘hard’. In your opinion will Putin’s visit to Armenia smooth the issue about which it is written and talked much in Russian mass media?

 

A: Frankly speaking I didn’t notice publications about Armenian-Russian ‘hard’ relations in Russian press. There were articles where the events had been elucidated in different ways. You know the political field is multi-tonal and probably that is the reason why such articles are being published. And second, what I think more important, is that after Putin was elected president Russia conducts pragmatic policy in economic issues, and when economic relations are transferred to pragmatic field, it gives rise to various talks. If Armenia has debts to Russia, then these debts had to be paid off, and to consider it a difficulty in Armenian–Russian relations is not right. In this respect all the CIS countries have this kind of ‘difficult’ relations with each other. But I repeat that Armenia and Russia are strategic partners, and the two countries have a common security system. Armenia is going to continue strategic-political cooperation with Russia because Armenia’s security is the most important thing for us. Armenian-Russian economic relations are slow as far as not much attention has been paid to them. We highly value Russia’s support to Armenia during those heavy years for our republic, especially the nuclear fuel supply. To say that Armenian-Russia relations are ‘hard’, in my opinion, is a wrong political approach.

 

Q: Official Yerevan conducts foreign policy of complementarity. Don’t Kremlin and Russian circles in general see pro-Western tendencies under this name?

 

A: In my opinion Armenia conducts pro-Armenian foreign policy. We have four neighbors, shall we conduct ‘pro-neighbor’ policy? Interests of super powers clash in our region. Shall we conduct a policy which is ‘pro’ these powers? Russia itself conducts complementarity policy in some issues, and so does USA. And we approach some issues sentimentally – seeing only black and white, leaving aside other colors.

 

Q: Is it finally coordinated what documents will be signed during Putin’s visit, and are the names of those enterprises which will be re-formulated as Russian-Armenian joint enterprises already known?

 

A: The general list of the enterprises was discussed, and the Russian side is especially interested in Armenia’s radio-electronics and military-economic complex enterprises. I don’t want to enumerate the concrete names of the enterprises, because the final agreement process is long lasting and many changes will take place during it. Now experts work on it and give their estimates.

 

Q: Mr. Sahakian, as you have noted, Armenian-Russian strategic-political relations are on a very high level, and Russia establishes in Armenia economically as well. There is an opinion in some political circles of Armenia that the increase of economic influence of Russia in our country can negatively affect Armenia-West, and especially Armenia-international financial organizations relations. How should we act in order not to ‘offend’ Russia or the West?

 

A: We must see what results Armenia gets after each step. I don’t think that Russia’s economic ‘intrusion’ into our country is harmful for us. We must be guided by Armenia’s interests. Russia is a market with 150 million customers, plus the whole CIS territory, and if by creating Armenian-Russian joint enterprises we are succeeding to expand the export of Armenian goods by several times, then this surely will not do any harm to our republic.

 

By Tatoul Hagopian, Moscow

 

author : AZG Daily #162