Defense Minister Protests Armenian Officers’ Planned Visit To Baku

11/09/2004 12:01

On Friday, Defense Minister, Colonel General Safar Abiyev strongly
protested against the planned participation of Armenian officers in
NATO’s Cooperative Best Effort-2004 desert exercises to be held in
Baku in September within the Partnership for Peace Program.

Assa-Irada — General Abiyev underlined that the Azerbaijani people are
surprised with the efforts by Armenia, which has occupied Azerbaijan’s
lands and supports terror and separatism on the level of state policy,
to take part in the NATO exercises in Baku.

“Armenia doesn’t recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and
doesn’t give up its territorial claims against Azerbaijan. There are
no diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In this case,
the participation of the officers in the Armenian Armed Forces in
the exercises held in Baku is not purposeful.”

General Abiyev stressed that the Azerbaijani people are against the
planned participation of Armenian officers in the NATO exercises
under the cover of international cooperation. The defense minister
recalled that Azerbaijan refused to take part in NATO exercise held
in Armenia in 2003.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress