TV questions Azerbaijan’s need for NATO membership

ANS TV, Baku
10 Sep 04

[Presenter] Our next report is about people’s expectations from NATO
and NATO’s failure to meet them.

[Correspondent] The fact that NATO is interested in sending
Armenians to Baku has made us reassess our view of this body. Back
in 1991, Azerbaijan needed support from NATO in order to maintain its
territorial integrity and put up resistance to pressure from the north,
that is from Russia, and from the south, that is from Iran. For the
fear of finding itself in Russia’s zone of influence, Azerbaijan
decided not to join the Collective Security Treaty Organization,
which was set up in Russia, and turned to NATO. In order to strengthen
integration with the West, Azerbaijan sent its servicemen to Kosovo
and Afghanistan within international peacekeeping groups.

Saying that ensuring stability and independence in the
newly-independent states of Europe is one of its main tasks, NATO,
however, has never taken any steps towards respect for Azerbaijan’s
interests over the Karabakh issue. On the contrary, it is trying to
talk officers of the country subjected to aggression into having
a joint exercise with officers of the aggressor country. Ordinary
people, however, are against this.

[An unidentified man speaking into ANS microphone] I have never seen
any help from international organizations over the Karabakh issue. I
do not think it is right to rely on them.

[Another unidentified man] Instead of helping us, they are bringing
the enemies to our country. It is not right.

[Another unidentified man] The blood of our people has not dried yet,
why are they doing that?

[Another man] This is pressure on our country and the government.

[Passage omitted: more criticism from people.]

[Correspondent] Being in need of NATO’s support over the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem, Azerbaijan has had to make every compromise to this
body and turned itself into this organization’s hostage for the sake
of its territorial integrity. NATO, however, sees Azerbaijan only as
a testing ground and is now bringing Armenian servicemen to Baku.

Azerbaijan became independent from Moscow. Did it do so in order to
become dependent from NATO today? It is worth thinking about this.

Zamina Aliyeva, Azad Ibrahimov and Ramin Yaqubov, ANS.