As part of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Hai Tad Conference, being held in Yerevan today and tomorrow, Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, addressed attendees.

The minister welcomed the initiative to hold such meetings regularly since they do not simply serve to make an organization1s work more effective, but by holding them in Yerevan, they lend to a better understanding of Armenia1s
policies and positions, and therefore facilitate better cooperation.

The Minister acknowledged and applauded the work of Armenian National Committees around the world who have vigorously, aggressively, devotedly pursued the Hai Tad agenda for decades. Since independence, that agenda has changed qualitatively and quantitatively, he said, and the definition of Hai Tad, too, has evolved.

If Hai Tad started out as the defense of the just rights of Armenians, in the post-1965 era it went one step further and turned into advocating justice for Armenians.

Today, the definition of Hai Tad is broader. It is the active protection and promotion of the rights of all Armenians, and the security and the prosperity of Armenia.

The Minister described the three broad categories under which Armenia1s foreign policy initiatives fall.

The first is the pursuit and application of desirable policies not just in Armenia, but throughout the region, to affect policies and processes going on in the immediate neighborhood so that they develop in a way that benefits Armenia

The second category is Armenia1s policies vis a vis three power centers: Brussels, Moscow and Washington. He explained the premises driving this category. The first premise is that from each of these countries, we want and need certain kinds of support, assistance, understanding, facilitation. The second is that in each case, we must be prepared to give that which is important to them, that which is needed for the implementation of their policies. In other words, we look for ways to be reliable partners, and not client states forever in the position of supplicant and recipient, the Minister explained. This two-way interaction has been made possible by virtue of Armenia's policy of complementarity, he continued.

Underscoring and running through all of these relationships, discussions, considerations, negotiations, are four overarching, all inclusive, all pervasive commitments, which form an intrinsic part of Armenia1s foreign policy agenda, the Minister said, and identified them: A just resolution of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict; Genocide recognition by Turkey and by the international community; The interests of each of our local communities; The protection and preservation of national assets and treasures around the world. 

Minister Oskanian stressed that throughout, the actions and interrelationships between the Republic of Armenia and other states affect and are affected by the presence of Armenian communities there. He repeated President Kocharian1s characterization that Armenia with a Diaspora and Armenia without a Diaspora are two different things. He went on to explain that therefore the perceptions, presumptions, expectations and actions of the Diaspora must be in sync with that of the Armenian government if these two forces are to complement and reinforce each other. He gave examples of instances where such cooperation has been successful.

"As one nation, working toward a common set of political goals, we cannot afford opposing methods in the pursuit of a common agenda. We can have different approaches, but not opposing ones," he said.

It is finally the state, which has access to greater information, whose issues and responsibilities are by definition broader, whose day-to-day commitments and imperatives have disproportionate urgency, whose responsibility it is, constitutionally, to determine and implement policy, explained Oskanian and called on those present, as well as others in the Diaspora, to continue to work with Armenia to explore issues and concerns together, and most importantly, work together toward common goals.

The Minister1s talk was followed by questions from the audience which consisted of Armenian National Committee representatives from around the world.