Azeris outraged by Armenian officers’ planned visit

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 9 2004

A number of Azeri media have staged a protest against the planned
participation of military officers from Armenia in the NATO-sponsored
exercises due in Baku on September 12. The front pages of several
leading private and independent daily newspapers came out

blank on Saturday contained nothing but the “Azerbaijani media
protests the arrival of Armenian officers to Baku” message. Moreover,
Internet publications and independent ANS channel suspended their
broadcasts for three hours for the same reason. Official and
pro-government media outlets have not joined the protest. The
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said it had expressed its concern to
NATO over the Armenians’ presence, but refused to file an official
complaint.

A statement released jointly by local media says that the visit to
Baku by military men from Armenia, which occupies Upper Garabagh and
7 adjacent regions of Azerbaijan, will deal a blow on the country’s
independence. Permitting soldiers and officers of an arch-foe country
to the sessions in Azerbaijan would mean ignoring the country’s
military interests and diminishing the dignity of Azerbaijani
citizens, the document says. “Allowing Armenian military men to
Azerbaijan, which has given thousands of victims, is an insult to the
Azerbaijani people and is exacerbating the socio-political tensions
in the country.” The exercises, organized under NATO’s Partnership
for Peace program, are scheduled for September 12-26.

Protest actions
The Whole Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan plans to hold a rally in
front of the Narimanov cinema on September 12 in protest against the
Armenian officers’ arrival, the party chairman, MP Gudrat
Hasanguliyev said on Monday.

Nation indignant
He said the party also intends to conduct a march starting outside
school No.20 to proceed to the President’s Office. Hasanguliyev added
that until the occupied Azerbaijani territories are liberated Baku
should not cooperate with Armenia in any way and must prevent the
Armenian officers’ arrival. The Foreign Ministry is negotiating with
NATO representatives in Brussels over the issue. “We are currently in
talks with Brussels and expressing our position to NATO”, Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists. He noted that Azerbaijan
has assumed a number of commitments to NATO and a refusal to admit
Armenian military men to the country may “deal a blow” on the
Azerbaijan-NATO individual cooperation plan.

Appeal to NATO Secretary General
The Garabagh Liberation Organization appealed to NATO Secretary
General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Monday urging the organization’s
leadership to reject the Armenian officers’ participation in its
military exercises in Baku. The document demands that the training be
held in any other country in order not to cause undesirable incidents
and confrontation between the public and the authorities.