ArmInfo. Serzh Sargsyan: Armenia sees no reason for breaking relations with Russia, stated the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan in an interview to EFE agency while speaking about relations with Russia and the policy of West towards Russia.
"Russia is our strategic partner and our relations have a long history. During the formation of these relations many connections were created, which are extremely important to us. We see no reasons for cutting them. In contrary, we want to strengthen them and enlarge these relations. It corresponds to our national interest. Our relations with Russia develop both on bilateral and multilateral levels. We are EUE, OSCE member-state, and also we cooperate within frameworks of other international organizations. I do not want to give marks to the Western States' policy, which are currently in complicated relations with Russia, as I think that each state, each organization taking a step, considers it to be a right one", said the President of Armenia.
Speaking about the visit to Paris and Moscow, the Armenian leader noted that each state has its problems, each state intends to cooperate tightly with its partners and the given cooperation is multidirectional. According to him, a high level active political dialogue is the most effective way and a good signal for other sectors. "Yes, I was in Brussels in the end of February, returned back on March 8-9 from Paris and will be in Moscow on March 14-15. I want to add that I have planned a visit in Arab United Emirates and Malta", noted Serzh Sargsyan.
Answering the question whether Armenia can take any part in the normalization of relations between the EU and Russia that are going through difficult times, the head of state replied that Armenia is a small country and he would not want to exaggerate its role and say that it can become a bridge between The West and Russia. "That would be an exaggeration. Therefore, we are constantly working to avoid additional problems creation between Russia and the West. We think that it is dangerous to use disagreements between the sides. In many cases, for small countries, this can be fatal. Therefore, we feel more comfortable when the relationship between Russia and NATO, Russia and the West is not tense. This is the most acceptable situation for us", the Armenian leader said.
Speaking on Armenia's relations with the EU and the EEU, Sargsyan said that there may be contradictions between these two economic and political structures, but Armenia, being a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, at the same time is trying to cooperate with the European Union. "Deepening relations with the EU is one of the priorities of our foreign policy. Every year we improve relations with EU member states, which also meets our national interests. You know that the EU developed a program called the "Eastern Partnership", and within this policy there were various problems. But after the Riga Summit in 2015 everything changed, because it was decided that the EU should have a differentiated approach to each member of the Eastern Partnership", the Armenian leader said.
He noted, immediately after the end of the summit, Armenia expressed its desire to resume negotiations with the EU on a new framework agreement, and in December 2015 Armenia and the EU announced the beginning of negotiations. "A week ago in Brussels, me and the President of the European Council Donald Tusk announced the completion of the talks. Everything is ready for signing. We do not see any contradiction in our policy. On the contrary, we are convinced that it is balanced, and in none of the documents there are items that contradict one another. Why did I start talking about documents? Because I believe that one of the most important duties of the state is the responsibility and ability to protect their actions", Sargsyan summed up.