Armenia should abstain from NATO drill in Baku – minister
By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 10, 2004 Friday

BAKU, September 10 — Armenia should abstain from participation
in the Cooperative Best Effort 2004 exercises due in Azerbaijan
on September 14-26 under the NATO Partnership for Peace program,
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said.

“Baku is perplexed with the insistent wish of Armenia, which
occupied some of Azerbaijani lands, to take part in the exercises,”
Abiyev said. “Armenia does not recognize territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan. There are no diplomatic relations between our countries.
Is the participation of Armenian officers in the exercises in Baku
expedient?”

He said the Azerbaijani public objects to the visit of Armenian
servicemen.

“The insistence of Armenia may build up bilateral tension shortly
before the CIS summit in Astana,” where Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan are expected to meet
with the Russian mediation, he said.

Meanwhile, the Armenian defense minister’s press secretary Seiran
Shakhsuvaryan said that five Armenian officers would take part in
the NATO exercises in Azerbaijan.

“Our position is invariable. We will take part in the drill,” he
said. He noted that the exercises organizer – NATO – has not made any
changes in the program. “In addition, Yerevan does not have official
information about refusal of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tbilisi to
grant entry visas for the Armenian servicemen going to the drill in
Baku,” he said.

The news of Armenian servicemen’s visit agitated the Azerbaijani
public. A number of opposition parties, public and non-governmental
organizations will hold protests the day before the drill and on
the drill’s opening day. The Baku City Hall has authorized some of
the protests.