YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. The Political Science Association of Armenia at its March 24, 2018 convention, held at the National Defense Research University, expressing concern over the exacerbating confrontation between the Russian Federation and the United States, adopted an Address “Prognosis of Political Scientists for the Threat of Nuclear Catastrophe Confirmed” to the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States of America, Their Excellencies Mr. Vladimir Putin and Mr. Donald Trump, urging to implement all necessary steps to return to the “reset” policy in the relations between the Russian Federation and the US, the Association told Armenpress. The text of the Address was delivered to the embassies of the RF and the US in the Republic of Armenia.

The Address was presented by Lieutenant General Hayk Kotanjian, Chairman, Political Science Association of Armenia, Doctor of Political Science, Professor, Founding head, NDRU. At the convention Dr. Kotanjian presented the innovative guidelines of the Armenia’s National Security Strategy review implemented at the NDRU. He emphasized that the NDRU has employed the constantly updated methodological knowledge gained at the US, RF and Israeli think tanks through that process.

Below is published the full text of the PSAA Address.

“In its Address of 7 October, 2014, the Political Science Association of Armenia expressed its stark concern for the tensions between the two nuclear superpowers – the US and the RF – growing deeper and threatening to transform into confrontation. Today, in the light of the ongoing war in Syria, the escalation of the Kurdish Issue, the unsettledness of post-Soviet military-political conflicts, and instability in the east of Ukraine, the increasing tensions among the states led by you and your allies in military-political organizations may prompt destabilization all over the world, which is freight with a catastrophe of global scale.

In its previous Address, the Political Science Association of Armenia expressed the hope that the deepened rift between the two world leading states would not entail confrontation between the US and RF. Academic experts have long been raising the alarm that the nuclear arsenals of both of Your states are quite sufficient to destroy multiple times our common home – the planet Earth. We expressed assurance that the Leaders of the Russian Federation and the United States of America would never let this speculative conclusion become a reality. Meanwhile, nowadays many politicians and political scientists of NATO and CSTO member states articulate more frequently the reality of such developments, which was forecast by the PSAA back in 2014. We consider it our professional duty to note that allowing the further escalation of the conflict with statements and actions overstepping the limits of diplomatic traditions may well facilitate the mankind to approach the point of no return beyond which global catastrophe waits.

The practice of such development of situation in the 20th century indicates that the availability of the nuclear capacity at the conflicting party states is a containing factor, which in the end did prevent the US and the USSR from turning the Cuban Missile Crisis into the Third World War with the lethal aftermath for the entire humanity. The diplomatic efforts made then by American and Soviet leaders were directed in particular, towards the establishment of direct and effective communication between the two superpowers, whereas, today, just the contrary, the possibilities of such communication and dialogue are intentionally diminished. The political leaders of the 21st century, playing their parts in the global system of network relations, are entrusted the accountable mission of thinking and acting not only in the interests of their citizens and societies, but also to the benefit or to the detriment of the entire humanity. The very right of being in command of the fate of multi-centennial civilizations, material and spiritual resources accumulated by them, and the ecosystem, serves as a compulsory obligation for nowadays leaders to preserve and protect everything the contemporary generation has inherited.

Distinguished gentlemen!

The Political Science Association of Armenia is honored to ask You as leaders, who have been entrusted by the peoples the responsibility for the fates of generations, to undertake all the measures required for going back to the “reset” policy. We strongly believe that in contemporary circumstances, guided by the interests of global security, You and the nations led by You, are called to serve as credible guarantors of peace and dialogue between the venerable nations and states of Yours, as well as the other participants of the global political developments”.