Armenia being pressed to join allied state - Armen Grigoryan 

ArmInfo. An allied state is a clear violation of the member- states' sovereignty. Armenia has been and will continue a sovereign state, Armenian Security Council  Secretary Armen Grigoryan stated in an interview with Armenia's  Public TV as he commented by a recent statement by the ambassador of  Belarus. 

Ambassador of Belarus to Armenia Aleksandr Konyuk spoke of an allied  state in his speech on integration on Monday. In this context he  recalled his own words about a third member lacking in the allied  state. "I did not name that state, but our Armenian brothers  supported us. I am saying again I did not name a particular country,  but I was sure the allied state would develop," he said. 

In commenting on the statements, Mr Grigoryan said that it should  first of all be made clear what "brothers" are in question. They may  be among the opposition forces. "Armenia is a sovereign state and it  intends to remain such. It is our task," Mr Grigoryan said. 

In response to the host's remark as to who claims that joining an  alliance means losing sovereignty, whereas the EU is an example of  the opposite, Mr Grigoryan said that "an allied state is a clear  violation of the member-states' sovereignty. This is the problem of  an allied state. This question is much more challenging in that  case." 

Even discussing this issue means restricting democratic processes in  Armenia, to say nothing of the process itself. 

In response to the host's remark that "it is being done for the  corridor," Mr Grigoryan said that it is one of the factors. "That is,  the goal of the pressure is getting an extra-territorial corridor via  a sovereign territory." 

In response to the host's remark that meeting the 2023 challenges  requires building up the country's defense potential, Mr Grigoryan  said that Armenia is not the only decision-maker. "You have just  quoted the ambassador's statement on an allied state. Of course,  Armenia is under pressure, including in this respect. And when  Armenian democracy opposes, pressure of another kind - military  pressure - will naturally be exerted," Mr Grigoryan said.