UPON CANCELLATION OF NATO EXERCISE IN AZERBAIJAN, LITHUANIAN VOLUNTEERS RETURNING HOME
Baltic News Service
September 14, 2004
VILNIUS, Sep 14 — After NATO called off an international exercise in
Azerbaijan, troops of Lithuania’s National Defense Volunteer Forces
who were due to attend the training are returning home.
Acting National Defense Volunteer Forces commander Colonel Leonas
Stonkus told BNS on Monday morning that 9 volunteers and 3 employees
of the forces left for the exercise on Monday.
The volunteers left for Azerbaijan by an aircraft of the Lithuanian
Air Force, which will fly them back home on Tuesday.
The NATO-arranged exercise Cooperative Best Effort 2004 was scheduled
to take place on Sep. 14-26.
In Stonkus’ words, no reasons behind the decision to call off the
exercise were indicated in a letter sent to Lithuania.
Meantime, the AFP news agency, citing a NATO official, has reported
that Supreme Allied Commander Europe General James Jones made such a
decision after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday spoke
against Armenian troops’ participation in the exercise. NATO expressed
regret over such a statement.
The NATO exercise Cooperative Best Effort 2004, arranged in the spirit
of the Partnership for Peace program, was scheduled to be attended
by 20 NATO member-states and partners.
The exercise is annually held in the South Caucasus region. Last year,
the training took place in Armenia.