Allow me to welcome you to Armenia, and to welcome the effort being made by this conference, its organizers and participants to promote the continuation of regional dialog on basic issues facing our collective future.

I have no doubt that whatever the future holds for the Caucasus, we are in it together. Here, even more than most places in the world, our fates are linked. The premise that guides our vision for the future of this region must be firmly anchored in the inarguable fact that the security, stability and prosperity of the Caucasus are indivisible. That is why you have gathered here during these few days to speak not just of conflict resolution, not just of ancient history and future dreams, but of a real vision for the kind of a region we want for ourselves and our children in the 21^{st century.}

In identifying our own approaches and goals regarding our relations with our neighbors during these ten years since independence, Armenia has relied on an accurate and realistic assessment of resources and opportunities, on a belief in the efficacy of the policy of complementarity, and on a commitment to the rights of individuals and nations.

^{We firmly believe that the geography and politics of this region require an accurate appraisal of all our resources. No country and no region can long prosper with dependence on one commodity alone. Oil was not the balm of salvation in other regions, and it will not be for the countries of the Caucasus. Touting oil as the region's sole attraction means ignoring its vast human resources, undermining its deep historical interrelationships and its traditional role as the link among various civilizations.}

^{The peoples of the Caucasus stand to further benefit if today, we reject the polarized labels and definitions of our recent past, and instead embrace the complex interrelationships that are just as necessary and possible in the future. Rather than portraying each other as accessories of the South or the North, as allies of the East or the West, or as each other's adversaries and competitors, let us instead define ourselves and mold our policies in the spirit of multidimensional partnerships, in the direction of complementarity. Armenia continues to abide by this policy, conducting even-handed relations with all countries which have political or economic interests in the Caucasus.}

^{This approach has worked quite effectively over the last several years, as evidenced by a recent chart in the Economist which lists Armenia's three main allies as Russia, the US and Iran. We believe that this policy has benefited not just Armenia but has also contributed to the reduction of polarization and tension in the region. We must hope that our neighbors, too, will modify their positions to take advantage of such a policy of inclusion. Five decades of European integration have demonstrated that it is possible to build alliances and mechanisms for cooperation among countries with long-standing friction dividing them.}

^{In our region, the still-unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabagh is seen as a threat to regional stability. However, we believe Karabagh is also a challenge to a new spirit of regional collaboration. Rather than being a continued source of hostility, Karabakh is a very real reason for cooperation. Instead of being seen as an obstacle to coexistence, Karabagh can serve as a model for new definitions of statehood. The common state idea proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairmen can prevail because the preconditions for its success exist. That success depends, in the final analysis, on a willingness to respect one another's right to security and prosperity, and the ability to trust one's neighbor.}

^{The people and the leaders of the Caucasus know that the ongoing problems will not be solved overnight. We are also keenly aware that we do not want to carry these burdens into the coming century, and hoist them on the shoulders of our children. We do not have the moral right to tell our peoples that their lives must be put on hold until conflicts are settled. Through dialog and cooperation, through joint economic and cultural endeavors, we can create a favorable environment in the Caucasus, and transform the Caucasus knot into a web of cooperation.}

^{The three republics of the Caucasus do not stand a chance of peaceful, prosperous development, however, if our neighbors - and all our neighbors - do not view their roles responsibly and objectively. Armenian - Turkish relations continue to be a source of tension in the region. This tension we can ill-afford and must overcome. But we must do so together. Armenia has repeatedly explained that it is our moral obligation to integrate the issue of Genocide recognition into our foreign policy. Not to raise tensions, not to avenge the past, but to tackle an obstacle which exists between our two peoples and to work towards its speedy removal. This issue, however, has never been made a precondition for normalizing relations with Turkey. That is why the government of Armenia has, since its inception, pursued a dialog with the government of Turkey.}

^{Neither our history - ancient or modern, nor contemporary political processes afford us the opportunity to develop confidence in each other. Yet without these bases, without such engagement and such dialogue to learn and adjust to each other, we can't build a stable future together in this region. Our past is a very weak reference for the necessary faith and assurance in each other. We had hoped that we could create the bases for trust immediately after independence, but that, too, did not happen. Today, we still hope that through constructive dialog, in the absence of emotion-based decisions, we will have the opportunity to take steps which will confirm that we do have reason to have faith and trust each other. Furthermore, in seeking a resolution to the conflict over Nagorno Karabagh, it would be much easier for Armenia to acceed to those compromises which we must make, if they can be offset by prospects for stable and irreversible progress in Armenian-Turkish relations.}

^{Indeed, we must build on our common desire: a stable, peaceful, region that makes possible prosperity and full development for all its peoples, a region that adheres to the values of the past, without the burdens, that avails itself of the opportunities of the future, without fear and suspicion. I welcome your efforts to join in this historic endeavor, in fashioning a new Caucasus for a new era.}