RA President refrains from participating in NATO summit in Lisbon

November 19, 2010 - 18:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will not participate in the November 20 Summit Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government that will focus on Afghanistan’s problems.

The RA presidential press service reported that the decision was adopted based on the fact that the draft declaration of the NATO summit in Lisbon maintained the previous generalized language of conflicts resolution in South Caucasus. It makes a reference to only one principle adopted by the OSCE, what may become a negative signal.

It may create additional difficulties in negotiations for the Karabakh conflict settlement, specifically, against the background of an unprecedented growth in the Azerbaijani military budget expenses and anti-Armenian rhetoric of this country’s government.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan will leave for the NATO summit in Lisbon instead of President Serzh Sargsyan.