Azeri army spokesman upbeat on ties with NATO

Zerkalo, Baku
25 Sep 04

Azerbaijan will continue its cooperation with NATO despite the recent
cancellation of the Cooperative Best Effort 2004 exercises in Baku, a spokesman for
the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry has said. At the same time, Col Ramiz Malikov
accused Armenia of playing a double game in order to discredit Azerbaijan in
the eyes of the international community. Touching on the Karabakh problem, he
said that “Azerbaijan is doing everything possible to avoid a military solution
to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict”. However, Armenia’s defeat is unavoidable
if the hostilities resume because Azerbaijan has a stronger economy, he said.
The following is an excerpt from C. Sumarinli and F. Teymurxanli report by
Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 25 September headlined “The cancellation of the
military exercises in Baku will not influence ties between Azerbaijan and
NATO” and subheaded “Col Ramiz Malikov thinks that the unity of the Azerbaijani
people and the government gained victory over the diseased ambitions of
Armenia”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The cancellation of the Cooperative Best Effort 2004 exercises, planned in
Baku by the NATO command, triggered many questions in the Azerbaijani public.
One of the major factors causing such questions was the “information war”
against official Baku launched by several politicians close to the leaderships of
the USA, NATO and Armenia.

We wonder what impediments Azerbaijan might encounter in its integration into
the North Atlantic alliance. We put this and several other questions to the
head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, Col Ramiz
Malikov.

Armenia plotting to deal a deadly blow to Azerbaijan’s image

[Correspondent] What is your assessment of the cancellation of the NATO
exercises scheduled for 14 September in Azerbaijan?

[Malikov] One of the main signs typical of the “Armenian syndrome” is to
“deal a deadly blow by taking advantage of the opportunity”. And the Cooperative
Best Effort 2004 exercises were viewed by the Armenians as an opportunity to
deal a blow to Azerbaijan’s prestige. The exercises served as a double game for
Armenia: whether the Armenians would have come to Baku or not, there was only
one target, i.e. to discredit Azerbaijan in the eyes of the international
community.

If the Armenians had arrived in Baku, then unrest would have taken place in
Azerbaijan, certain forces would have protested against the authorities and
domestic political stability would have been disrupted. In this case, Armenia
would have said to NATO and the whole world – look what state you are cooperating
with, and it is impossible to conduct such an important peacekeeping mission
in a country which is in the grip of chaos and anarchy. Thus, the Armenians
would have said to the international community that it is impossible to resolve
the Karabakh problem at a negotiating table with a country which lacks
domestic political stability. And the fate of the “Karabakh people” (the Armenians
have invented a new nation) cannot be entrusted to “Azerbaijan’s cruel
oppressors”.

According to the second option, i.e. if the Armenians had not come to Baku,
which was actually the case – thanks to the will and unity of the Azerbaijani
people and the authorities, the officers of the Armenian armed forces who have
the blood of Azerbaijani elders, women and children on their hands, failed to
set foot in Baku. The people of Azerbaijan and the authorities took a single
position which served as a basis for victory over the diseased ambitions of the
Armenians.

The disguised ideas of cooperation between the Armenians and NATO did not
materialize. Some foreign forces, which pander to 200-year-old Armenian terror,
also failed.

Cancellation of NATO war games will not damage ties with Baku

[Correspondent] What do you think is the prospect for cooperation between
Azerbaijan and NATO after the incident? Will this incident have an effect on our
country’s cooperation with the alliance?

[Malikov] After the cancellation of the war games in Baku by the NATO
leadership, we could have said the following: “With this gesture, NATO supported the
aggressor country, which is pursuing a policy of terror and separatism at the
state level.” But our judgment is as follows. We believe that the NATO
leadership took this step due to its adherence to its principles. We say that
representatives of the occupying Armenian armed forces did not deserve to participate
in the Partnership for Peace programme for the reason that Armenia is not a
peace champion in the South Caucasus and in the whole of Europe. If Armenia
wished peace, then the 10-year Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations would have
resulted in a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The cancellation of the exercises by the NATO leadership will in no way have
a negative influence on relations between Azerbaijan and the North Atlantic
alliance. First, because relations between Azerbaijan and NATO have deeper
roots, and second, the principles of security in NATO member states and throughout
the world meet the interests of the Azerbaijani people and state.
Consequently, we consider that our cooperation with NATO will develop further and from
this point of view, the incident is of little importance.

Armenia has never been candid in its ties with NATO

[Correspondent] At this stage, Armenian experts claim that Baku and Yerevan
have swapped places in the issue of integration into NATO.

[Malikov] Armenia will never be able to replace Azerbaijan in the sphere of
partnership with NATO since official Yerevan has never been candid in its
cooperation with NATO. In this issue, Armenia is engaged in waffling and has “put
on a mask” of international cooperation. Moreover, Armenia cannot be sincere
for the reason that it is a vassal state deprived of its freedom of action. My
words are proved by the fact that currently, Russian border guards are guarding
Armenia’s borders and there is a big military base on the territory of this
state.

Let Armenia not celebrate the cancellation of the NATO exercises in Baku.
This country betrayed the principles of peace, stability, security and
cooperation again. I consider that the NATO leadership should pay attention to the
circumstance that Armenia regards the cancellation of the exercises as its own
victory.

In the field of relations with NATO, one cannot place Azerbaijan and Armenia
on the same level. With its participation in the Cooperative Best Effort 2004,
Armenia pursued only one aim: to deal a blow to the idea of peacekeeping and
cooperation, which it did not achieve. We sincerely wish the NATO leadership
to pay attention to this. We hope that the leadership of this major
international structure will not allow the Armenians to “poke their nose” into its
affairs in the future.

Azerbaijan is more important to NATO than Armenia

[Correspondent] Has the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry sent a statement to
NATO, explaining the reasons for denying the Armenians entry visas?

[Malikov] We have not sent any statement. But the Defence Ministry leadership
believes that cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO in the military sphere
will continue in its previous course.

At a meeting between Col-Gen Safar Abiyev and Deputy Assistant Secretary for
European and Eurasian Affairs Steven Pifer, the defence minister regretted the
incident. He said that Azerbaijan was ready to develop its ties with NATO and
the USA at a higher level.

We are continuing cooperation with NATO within the framework of the
Partnership for Peace programme and are taking part in all the events of the alliance.
Our country has a monthly plan of participation in activities under the
Partnership for Peace programme and you will see their implementation soon.

[Correspondent] Some politicians recently claimed that the rumpus around the
visit to Baku by the Armenians was in vain: Azerbaijan has lost the
information war, the visit to Baku by the Armenians has nothing in common with the
resolution of the Karabakh problem and so on.

[Malikov] I am not a politician. However, a politician fighting for the
national interests of his state and our people should not be thinking this way. The
Azerbaijani people proved to the Armenians that the people and state share a
single position. The time will come and this cohesive unity will wipe away the
Armenian occupiers from Nagornyy Karabakh and seven other districts around
it.

As for the opinions that Azerbaijan has lost the information war, this is far
from being the truth. Official Baku and the Azerbaijani people, as a whole,
are trying to tell the world community the truth about Armenia’s actions and
policy. How can officers of the Armenian armed forces, which have occupied the
territory of a neighbouring country and brought a lot of trouble to the
Azerbaijani people, come to Baku and participate in exercises?! Such impudence is
characteristic only of Armenians. What other actions should official Baku have
urged NATO to take against Armenia? Against the country which has occupied 877
villages, settlements and towns, has razed the town of Susa to the ground and
has wiped out 7,000 residents of Xocali [a settlement near Xankandi].

[Passage omitted: NATO decided to open an office in Tbilisi long before this
incident]

Azerbaijan will retake occupied lands at all costs

[Correspondent] In your opinion, what is the probability of military
hostilities resuming at the moment?

[Malikov] Azerbaijan is doing everything possible to avoid a military
solution to the conflict. We are in favour of resolving the problem in a peaceful
way. However, in this issue, the Armenians have “put on a mask” of supporters of
peace by stating that they allegedly adhere to a peaceful settlement. However,
this is wide of the mark, the Armenians support hostilities. They have placed
a huge amount of illegal weapons in our occupied land.

Azerbaijan will retake its occupied territories at all costs since the
Azerbaijani armed forces are able to do so. If we add to this the country’s economy
and moral support, then Armenia’s defeat is unavoidable if the hostilities
resume.