Armenia-NATO Relations: Prospects and Challenges Ahead

YEREVAN (Mediamax) — NATO desk officer for the South Caucuses Steffen Elgersma stated today that Armenia’s contribution to international security is very impressive.

Steffen Elgersma spoke about it in Yerevan during a discussion titled “Armenia-NATO Relations: Prospects and Challenges ahead of the NATO Warsaw Summit”.

“We appreciate Armenia ‘s long-term participation in the NATO-led international peacekeeping operations and commitment for continuation. Despite the security challenges of this region, Armenia continues to contribute to international security, and this is very impressive”, he said.

NATO desk officer noted that they are satisfied with relationship history with Armenia for more than 20 years and appreciate democratization in armed forces and steps taken towards enhancing the role of women in the defense sector.

Talking about the future of relations between NATO and partner countries, including Armenia, Steffen Elgersma stated that NATO will continue to be faithful to two important principles in this perspective.

“Firstly, NATO respects the choice of Armenia and all its other partners in the integration and membership in various formats. We have repeatedly stated that Armenia ‘s membership to  the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is fully compatible with NATO-Armenia cooperation and Individual Partnership Action Plan’s objectives.

Secondly, NATO respects the ambitions of its partners in the region. Georgia, for example, wants to join NATO. We are developing relations with Azerbaijan too, but at the same time want to develop closer relations with Armenia and conduct closer work in reforms of defense, cyber security and other areas”, said NATO desk officer.

He highlighted that NATO expects more creative ideas from Armenia in order to deepen relations.

Steffen Elgersma noticed that there have been many changes in global security environment, and new challenges emerged after 2014. According to him, these changes will be reflected in the relationship between NATO and its partners in the South Caucasus.

Talking about NATO Summit in Warsaw this July, NATO desk officer stated that challenges of South and East will be in the agenda.

Steffen Elgersma highlighted the regression of relations between NATO and Russia as one of the challenges of East.

“We are concerned by Russia’s lack of respect for the sovereignty of neighbors. In NATO we often think that this may lead us to the Cold War. We closely follow this trend and strengthen the collective defense of the member countries, especially the Eastern Front of the Alliance”, said NATO desk officer.

He added that NATO will continue to keep the doors open for dialogue with Russia.

Talking about the situation in the Middle East, Steffen Elgersma admitted that NATO has no “ready recipes” for overcoming the threats emanating from the region.

“We understand that the crisis in Syria is reflected on Armenia as well, as there is Armenian community in that country. We also understand what Turkish-Russian relations tension means to Armenia”, said Steffen Elgersma.