Armenia rejects Azeri proposal to join NATO exercises as observer

Mediamax news agency
20 May 04

Yerevan, 20 May: The Azerbaijani side’s proposal to take part in the
Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises as an observer does not suit
Armenia, Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan said at a joint
briefing with his Russian counterpart in Yerevan today.

Asked by a Mediamax correspondent, Sarkisyan added that Armenia
had repeatedly expressed its readiness to send a unit for full
participation in these exercises to be held in Azerbaijan in autumn
within NATO’s Partnership for Peace Programme.

In turn, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov said that “this is the
first time that he has learnt about the Cooperative Best Effort-2004
exercises”. He added that “we take part in joint exercises with NATO
only if they are of practical benefit to us”.