Aram Karapetyan
Leader of New Times Party
Background Information
1. New Times Party
2. The party was founded on December 2nd, 2003. According to the situation on 31st January, 2005 the
party had 19108 people. 27 territorial subdivisions are functioning in 27 marzes and in Yerevan.
3. The party is not represented in the power structures.
Answers
1. Armenia- NATO relations should primarily be guided by the principle of benefiting from these relations
and, at the same time, excluding the possibility of creating, as a result of these relations, a bridgehead
in Armenia to be used against third countries.
We will be guided by the following approaches in relations with Europe: there are no fundamental obstacles
for Armenia’s integration into European structures, in relations with the Council of Europe we should
strive to avoid artificial acceleration of the process of shutting the Armenian Nuclear Power Station
down.
In case of formation of a factual Eurasian economic cooperation, Armenia should move from the status
of an observer to the status of a full member of this cooperation. This will be of great benefit for
Armenia, especially from the economic viewpoint.
2. Armenia’s integration into the European structures, from the viewpoint of safeguarding our national
strategic interests, should enhance the process of attracting a great number of European countries to
our side. In particular, for a fair resolution of the Karabakh problem and the acknowledgement of the
genocide against Armenians in 1915.
3. Armenia’s cooperation with the European structures can considerably contribute to enforcement of
those European norms that are acceptable for our nation in the spheres of social interrelations, including
protection of human rights, social, societal and political relations, and activities of local self-governance
bodies.
4. New Times party thinks that the integration process of Armenia into NATO and EU has two challenging
impediments. Firstly, the excessively active membership of Turkey in NATO. Secondly, a lot of legal and
social norms acceptable for EU and historically unacceptable for Armenia as they contradict our national
cast of mind.
5. We think that there cannot be an unambiguous attitude to the expression “European standards”, because
some part of them is accepted by us and some standards contradict our national cast of mind.
6. The party is convinced that power formed by means of free and democratic elections can fully reflect
the will of the Armenian society in their foreign policy.
7. New Times party assumes that Russia and Iran, in terms of geopolitical and regional interests,
are strategic partners of Armenia and in this sense the comparison of the interests of NATO, EU and CIS
with the interests of the above-mentioned countries is acceptable.
8. The party is sure that in order to build comprehensive and stable basis for provision of security
of Armenia, only integration into European structures is not sufficient.
9. We think that the assertion of the principle of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, one of the
European requirements for integration to the countries of the South Caucasus, is unacceptable for Armenia.
We think that historically and in the context of the current situation the right of the nation to self-determination
should be prioritized.
February 18, 2005
