Friday, September 11 2020 17:25

ArmInfo. The Middle East plays a vital role for Armenia, and it is no secret that it is an  integral part of the immediate security environment of the Armenian  state.  RA MFA Advisor Ruben Karapetyan stated this in an interview  with "Lurer" program, referring to the upcoming visit of the Armenian  Foreign Minister to the Middle East.

"We were part of the Middle East region, we were active participants  in history, we had to face the existing problems of peace and war. We  are connected with this region by many threads, interests,  understanding all this, this year we at the Ministry of Foreign  Affairs completed the development of a clear strategy in the Middle  East. East," Karapetyan said.  

He called this strategy a sovereign, in his words, in the sense that  it should have been done long ago. At the same time, he believes that  the programs and visits that have been developed in the Middle East  will clearly signal the creation of such a circle of interests for  equal, mutually beneficial cooperation with these partner countries,  which will allow ensuring, guiding, promoting the state and national  interests of Armenia.

At the same time, once again pointing out the importance of the  Middle East for Armenia, Karapetyan noted that Armenia is not only a  part of the Greater Middle East, not only a part of the geopolitics  of the three seas, about which so much has been said in the recent  period (Caspian, Black and Mediterranean Seas), but it is an integral  part of this region.

To clarify what programs are planned to be implemented in the  foreseeable future with the countries of the Middle East, the adviser  to the Foreign Minister noted that the first visit is planned to  Egypt, which is one of the "heavyweights" of the Arab world.

"The voice of Egypt is often decisive for different Arab countries.   Egypt plays a key role in various military-political and security  issues. Egypt is an active participant in today's Middle East  threats, including events in North Africa. Deepening multifaceted  bilateral relations, including in various security sectors, meets the  national and state interests of Armenia.

  As is well known, the headquarters of the League of Arab States, the  only Arab organization uniting 22 Arab states, is located in Cairo,  and meetings are planned here. For us, this is a platform where the  voice of Armenia will be more heard, quickly conveyed, and we have  been represented there for a long time," Karapetyan stressed.  

Speaking about the agenda of Mnatsakanyan's visit to Egypt, his  adviser noted that it is simple, but conclusions can be drawn upon  its completion. At the same time, he said that within the framework  of the visit, there will be meetings at the level of the top  leadership of Egypt: the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other  levels, in the same way as there will be meetings with spiritual  leaders, because there is an important circumstance here too. 

"This is also a novelty in our Middle East policy, because Armenia,  as a people with a civilizational mission and a state representing  the people, must necessarily pursue the interests of other religious  and national minorities. In fact, Egypt is the beginning of our  strategy in the Middle East. Later we will consider others. Middle  East countries such as Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan  and Syria. This is an important region for us, we cannot but be  concerned about stability in the Middle East," Karapetyan said.  

Touching upon Armenia's position on Turkey's expansionist actions in  the region, the minister's adviser promised to talk in detail on this  topic in the future, noting that now he would not like to reduce the  issue to a simple anti-Turkish formula, since this is not so, and  this is only one of many questions. In his words, it is not that  Armenia's relations with Egypt are conditioned by any third country.   To the remark that Turkey is a threat to both Armenia and Egypt,  Karapetyan, in particular, said: "Of course, in the context of the  common threat, we with the partner countries have something to do,  but I want to say that it is not only about this and not only this  that determines our Middle East strategy. In a year or two, we can  play a much more visible, much more serious, much more important role  in the Middle East process. In the end, to put it in one word, this  visit will be such a signal that both our neighbors and all our  partners will understand that Armenia has returned to the Middle  East. "