"Highly appreciating NATO's role in the geopolitical processes, I am convinced that in the long-term outlook Armenia's place is in the CSTO," Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov said at a press conference in Yerevan on July 11.
He said many people think that Armenia joined the CSTO, because it was not admitted to NATO, but it is not so. "Don't forget that Turkey - a NATO member state - plays the leading role in the region. I would not like to identify Turkey and NATO, but one should not forget about it. Who has been keeping our country blockaded for 25 years, who supports the Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, who committed the massacre in 1915? We are Christians and Turkey remains a carrier of Pan-Turkic ideology. Ankara is a threat to Armenia, so we should always be careful in our actions and political steps", he said.
At the same time, Sharmazanov said that Armenia is interested in normalization of Russian-Turkish relations. When asked whether the creation of a joint regional air defense system with Russia may harm the relations with NATO, Sharmazanov stressed that Armenia has ratified the agreement with due regard for its own interests.
"We did not do this in spite of someone or something. We took this step, because this agreement is in our interest. Not only the lawmakers from the ruling majority, but also the opposition voted for that document," Sharmazanov said, stressing that Armenia will continue to cooperate with NATO in peacekeeping programs.