The Pro-Arabic Political Orientation may become particularly appealing for Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - These two orientations are closely interconnected, but there is also the third one, which may become particularly appealing for Armenia; it is the pro-Arabic tendency, to be more exact, the relations with League of Arab States. Armenia is the sole Christian country, which enjoys the status of an observer in League of Arab States, which as it is known, is not open to all Arab and Muslim countries. Everything started at the 59th Session of the UN General Assembly, when the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanyan met Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa in New York. It was then, that the arrangement about signing the memorandum of agreement on Armenia's involvement in this organization as an invited party was made. According to Suren Manukyan the Armenian foreign policy contains pro-Arabic trends, which is encouraging. "Arab League is in very complicated relations with Turkey, which can be used for our own benefit. True, the Kurdish issue still exists, and it has its impact on the relations between Armenia and Arabic States, particularly between Armenia and Syria. The complications in the relations of the two countries were caused by the Kurds, the number of which is particularly large in Syria. This is the reason why now the Turkish-Syrian relations are on the rise. The Turkish factor in Syria is very vital, again due to the Kurdish problem," Manukyan states.

We should disregard another, not less important fact - the large Armenian Community of the Middle East lives in rather complicated conditions. Though we must accept that from the religious point of view, the attitude towards them is tolerant, but who will be responsible for their security for instance if the war in Lebanon is unleashed again. Armenia can do nothing in this case, besides providing the refugees with shelter; something which was done during the last Israeli war with "Hezbollah". Involvement in League of Arab States will become a counterbalance for Azerbaijan, which is very active in Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). These two organizations, as it has already been mentioned, are in very strained relations because of Turkey, which wants to grasp as much as possible from the prolonged process of integrating into EU. Recep Erdoghan does his best for confirmation of Turkey's leading role in Islamic World, which is first of all Arab World; countries which proclaimed their independence in the result of the Ottoman Empire breakdown. Iraq, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia would hardly be willing to obey Istanbul. Thus the core of the disagreement is at the same time an opportunity for Armenia to take firm standings in the Middle East.

Agreement on establishing the League of Arab States was signed in March 22, 1945 in Cairo by Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan (today - Jordan) and Yemen. Later Libya, Sudan, Morocco and Tunisia, Kuwait, Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Somalia, the Republic of Djibouti, Comoro Islands joined the Arab League. In 1976 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was admitted to the League, representing Palestine in the Arab League since 1988.