Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will not participate in the NATO Summit meetings of Heads of State and Government in Lisbon, November 19-20.

The reason for the decision is that the draft declaration contains previous wordings on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the RA presidential press service informed NEWS.am.

The Armenian President was to take part in the meeting of the Heads of State involved in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Armenia attaches importance to cooperation with NATO within the Council of Euro-Atlantic partnership and under the Individual Partnership Program. This cooperation is steadily developing.

Under the Partnership for Peace project Armenia is involved in numerous training courses and military exercises. As a partner-country, Armenia has over recent years hosted a number of military exercises. Armenia appreciates NATO’s contribution to the Armenian Armed Forces. Armenia’s involvement in NATO peace-making missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan, is one of the best examples of effective cooperation.

This cooperation, in conformity with the national security strategy, is a component of enhancing Armenia’s security. In this aspect, of special importance is the content and wording contained in the documents, which deal with issues of vital importance for Armenia.

The Armenian side has repeatedly stressed the unacceptability of common wordings as far as conflict settlement is concerned. The previous common wordings concerning the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the draft declaration of the Lisbon Summit, which refers to only one principle declared by the OSCE Minsk Group, may create new difficulties for the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, especially amid the unprecedented increase of Azerbaijan’s military expenditures and the Azeri authorities’ rhetoric. Given this concern, the Armenia President decided against going to Lisbon. The Armenian Foreign Minister and Minister of Defense will take part in the meeting.