Meeting with Vazgen Manukyan

On February 8th Civil Society Institute organized a meeting with the RA Presidential candidate Vazgen Manukyan. The main topic of the discussion was the candidate’s positions and program in regards to foreign affairs and the Nagorno Karabakh issue. This is the relevant part of Vazgen Manukyan’s program.

C. Foreign relations

1. It is meaningless to speak of a complete and sustainable regulation of Karabagh issue without the Republic of Mountainous Karabagh directly and equally participating in the process of negotiations. The main goal of those negotiations must be de jure recognition of de facto independence of Karabagh Armenians internationally achieved based on the right to self-determination, identification of its boundaries and maintaining a natural border with the Republic of Armenia. The negotiations must yield special safety guarantees for Karabagh population, ensure conditions for its social-economic development to secure repatriation of the refugees and forcibly displaced. The pledge for stable solution of the issue depends upon the level of democracy of opposing parties.
2. Membership to EU should be considered as one of the main directions of Armenia’s foreign (and internal) policy. It is necessary to completely perform Armenia’s obligations undertaken in front of EU as well as reforms within EU-Armenia Neighbourhood Programme following them truthfully.
3. Armenia-Russia relations need to be developed in military, social-economic, cultural, scientific-educational and other spheres. Armenia and Russia should always have special relations regardless their regional security systems.
4. Armenia should conduct proactive foreign policy promoting regional integration as well as developing diverse relations with our eastern neighbours especially with Iran and Arabic countries.
5. Armenia should steadily perform all its internationally undertaken obligations; actively stand up to international global challenges particularly the terror.
6. It is necessary to strengthen mutually beneficial and partner relations with Georgia. Armenia must always focus on Georgian Armenians issues. Based on international legal norms through negotiations with Georgia it is necessary to try to address the issue of the regional status of the Armenian language. Reinforce scientific, educational and cultural ties between Armenia and Javakhk within the scopes of an inter-state agreement with Georgia.
7. Improve Armenian-Turkish relations with a goal to open the border between the two countries. However solution of this problem should not be performed at the expense of neglecting national issues and dignity.
8. Ensure full protection of rights of our compatriots living abroad via RA embassies.
Implementation of systemic changes in the abovementioned spheres implies the design of specific sectoral development programmes on the basis of thorough studies. For that purpose it is envisaged to establish state strategic R&D centres where mid- and long-term programmes on foreign policy, internal policy, social, demography, defence, economy, and other issues will be developed. All scientific potential of the country should be concentrated in those centres. The mentioned systemic reforms will allow implementing various large national projects.

The discussion was organized within the frames of “Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Resource Center” program.