Armenian Officers Already Have Entry Visas to Baku, report says
Baku Today
Baku Today 18/06/2004 17:23
Two Armenian military officers have already received entry visas to
Azerbaijan to attend a Baku-hosted NATO conference scheduled for
June 22, Public Television of this country reported on Wednesday,
citing Armenia’s ministry of defense.
However, Armenpress reported on Thursday that the officers are planning
to ask Azerbaijan’s embassy to Georgia on June 21 for the visas.
The report said Colonel Murad Isakhanian and Aram Hovhanesian (the
latter’s rank was missed) from Armenian defense ministry’s department
of foreign relations are to represent their country in the upcoming
planning conference for NATO’s Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises,
which are planned to be held in Azerbaijan in September.
According to the Armenian media, Azerbaijani authorities have promised
NATO leadership that they will not put up obstacles to Armenian
officers’ attending the Baku conference. High-ranking Azeri officials
have also expressed willingness to let officers of the occupational
military in.
Foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his deputy Araz Azimov have
recently told local media that since the conference is organized by
NATO, it would be unwise on the part of Azerbaijan to create obstacles
for the Armenians’ coming.
But some non-governmental organizations in Baku, particularly the
Karabakh Liberation Organization, have warned the officers against
coming to Baku, threatening to go for any radical step to prevent
their arrival.