Serzh Sargsyan refuses to leave for Lisbon
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was scheduled to participate in the NATO meeting on Afghanistan in Portugal on November 20. However, the Armenian President decided not to leave for Lisbon.
Commenting on Serzh Sargsyan's decision, Spokesman for the Armenia Presient, Armen Arzumanyan, said, "Cooperation with NATO is one of the major components of Armenia's security. In this regard, we attach special importance to the content of the documents on vital issues for Armenia and the wording of those documents, which should be targeted at the reinforcement of security in the region.
The Armenian side has been repeatedly stressing the unacceptability of general formulations regarding resolution of conflicts. The maintenance of the former common formulations on settlement of conflicts in the South Caucasus in the draft Lisbon declaration, which refers to only one of the principles proclaimed by the OSCE, could become a bad impulse and create difficulties in the process of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict especially agaisnt the background of the recent military expenses and the bellicose rhetoric of Azerbaijan.
Taking these concerns into consideration, the President of the Republic of Armenia has made the decision not to leave for Lisbon."
Cooperation between Armenia and NATO is realised within the framework of the North Atlantic Partnership Council and on the basis of the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan.
