In a Long-Term Perspective Armenia will Need a Larger Territory Regarding its Security Issue: Batu Kutelia
“Russia-Armenia air defense system shouldn’t be observed as a threat directed to NATO,” Batu Kutelia, Vice President of the Atlantic Council of Georgia, told at the discussion initiated by “Region” Research Center, touching upon NATO-South Caucasus relations and perspectives. To the question of 168.am that after Ukrainian war what will be changed in relations of the South Caucasus countries and NATO, what may NATO propose on account of existent challenges, Batu Kutelia replied that all existent and future formats, organizations, security events headed by Russia, will fail, as they aren’t based on common values—freedom of choice, human rights, principles of democracy, international law and transparency.
The Georgian analyst doesn’t consider that in geo-political measurements out of a range of discordances, the South Caucasus is observed as a region, thus for NATO or any other union it’s difficult to have common policy here. “I’d say that for NATO the South Caucasus is a crucial geo-political region—of the Black and Caspian Seas.
After Russia’s war against Georgia and Ukraine, as well as the hybrid challenge, the Black Sea Basin became a strategically important issue for NATO and I’d even anticipate importance of resolutions in this direction at Warsaw summit,” Kutelia said.
According to the latter, NATO intensifies its presence in the countries, which have a clear-cut political will in that direction. He cited NATO Secretary General’s words, “More Georgia in NATO and more NATO in Georgia.” As for Armenia’s alternatives, then I consider, in a long-term perspective Armenia will need a wider territory regarding its defense and security policy, like in any other democratic country, such choice should be strengthened by strong social opinion,” Batu Kutelia said.
Touching upon the necessity of combining NATO-EU policy in this direction, Kutelia said that policy led by NATO and the EU should be more coordinated towards strategic talks.” This will allow leading Russia’s possibilities of splitting Europe to the minimum,” he said.
Touching upon air defense system to be created between Armenia and Russia, as a threat directed to NATO Batu Kutelia stated that Armenia, as any sovereign country, is free regarding choice of its partners, frameworks and cooperation levels with them. Strategic decisions like united air defense system, in his words, has long-term and short-term implications, demanding a thorough observation.
“NATO doesn’t plan to attack or violate Armenia’s air space, thus this joint mechanism can’t be observed as a means against NATO, meanwhile the sides—Armenia and Russia didn’t state on it,” Batu Kutelia noticed.
By Araks Martirosyan
