February 10, 2009 - 14:46 AMT
Under favorable conditions, Armenia can change South Caucasus image
The August war in South Ossetia has considerably changed the situation in the Caucasus. Now, the West's major task is to find a partner in the South Caucasus, Karen Bekaryan, head of European Integration NGO, told a news conference in Yerevan today.

"It's not a secret that the South Caucasus is attractive not only for Washington but also for Moscow," he said, adding that the 'football diplomacy' launched by the Armenian President last year sped up the events.

"Numerous meeting in Munich and Davos were held on the initiative of European states," Bekaryan said.

He also drew attention to Serzh Sargsyan's speech at the Munich Security Conference. "The head of state focused on regional security and confidence-building measures. He also mentioned about Armenia's isolation from some regional projects," he said.

"If Armenia manages to combine initiative foreign policy with the course of reforms, the republic can change the image of the South Caucasus," Bekaryan concluded.