Serzh Sargsyan: Armenia sees no reason for breaking relations with  Russia

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.