Azeris agree to host three Armenian “observers” at NATO drills – paper

Ekspress, Baku
11 Sep 04

The Azerbaijani Foreign and Defence ministries have given their consent
for three Armenian officers’ participation in the Cooperative Best
Effort-2004 exercises between 13-27 September within the framework
of NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. The Ekspress newspaper
learnt from diplomatic sources that this decision had been made at
yesterday’s talks in Brussels between NATO experts and representatives
of Azerbaijan’s Foreign and Defence ministries. “The sides agreed that
the Armenian delegation would consist of two officers and a military
doctor. In addition, they will be observers, but not participants in
the exercises,” the source said.

At the same time, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press centre
reported yesterday that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov did not rule out the Armenian officers’ absence from the
exercises. “This will depend on final results of the Brussels talks,”
the ministry said.

[Passage omitted: background of the issue.]

“NATO has paid attention to appeals of both Azerbaijan and Armenia and
believes that the arrival of three Armenian representatives to Baku
fully suits the two countries,” a source from NATO’s Partnership for
Peace programme told Ekspress yesterday. The source confirmed that
the Armenians military would arrive in Azerbaijan in the evening of
12 September to attend the NATO exercises. But the source did not
say anything about the time and route of their arrival.

[Passage to end omitted: background of exercises; Armenians will come
with NATO’s authorization.]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress