Cooperation within NATO in South Caucasus possible – Armenian army chief
Mediamax news agency
6 May 04
YEREVAN
The Armenian side does not share the opinion that the regional
cooperation in the South Caucasus within the framework of NATO
Partnership for Peace programme is doomed to failure.
As Mediamax news agency reported, the head of the General Staff of the
Armenian Armed Forces, Gen-Col Mikael Arutyunyan announced at a
session of the chiefs of the general staffs of the military committee
of the council of the Euro-Atlantic partnership, in Brussels on 5 May.
“Unfortunately, as a result of a position which is not constructive
and official bellicose demagogy of the neighbour state, in an
atmosphere of presumed failure, the regional cooperation in the South
Caucasus within the framework of the Partnership for Peace programme
has been created. Non-admission of the Armenian officers to take part
in planning conference of Cooperative Best Effort exercises in Baku
and also brutal and an unjustified killing of the Armenian officer
during the events within the framework of Partnership for Peace
programme, is complicating, but it does not rule out the possibility
of the regional cooperation,” Mikael Arutyunyan said.
As Mediamax news agency reported, speaking about the brutal killing of
the Armenian officer, committed by the Azerbaijani servicemen in
Budapest, General Arutyunyan announced: “My officer has lost his life
not as a result of implementing a military task or an accident, but
because an entire generation brought up to hate everything connected
with Armenia has grown in the neighbour state”.
The head of the General Staff of the Armenian armed forces expressed
an opinion that “this hate can be overcome only by the joint efforts
and the Euro-Atlantic partnership has all the necessary tools for
that”.