ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Tuesday, May 10, 2005

In this issue:

U.S. praises Armenia’s anti-terror cooperation, military capability
Ex-security official claims Azeri government organized terror attacks

U.S. PRAISES ARMENIA’S ANTI-TERROR COOPERATION, MILITARY CAPABILITY
Armenia is a “full and active participant in the global war against
terrorism,” according to the recently published report by the
U.S. State Department. The report notes Armenia’s legislative reforms
and counter-proliferation efforts aimed at denying potential sources
of financing and weapons to terrorist groups. U.S. military and
diplomatic officials have repeatedly praised Armenia for growing
cooperation with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). In a statement issued last month, President
George W. Bush expressed gratitude for Armenia’s participation in the
U.S.-led effort to stabilize Iraq and confirmed that the U.S. “seeks a
deeper partnership with Armenia that includes security cooperation and
is rooted in shared values of democratic and market economic reforms.”

Last week, an expert team from the U.S. European Command visited
Armenia to conduct an assessment of its armed forces with a view to
recommend future reforms. Last month, Deputy Defense Minister Artur
Aghabekian announced Armenia’s intention to develop and undertake a
major decade-long military reform effort in consultation with
NATO. U.S. military officers who conducted last week’s assessment
thanked Armenia for “sincerity and transparency” during the process
and noted that the Armenian military, while still young, has
“something to be proud of.” The officers were particularly impressed
by the care with which both personnel and equipment are treated, and
the army’s effort to switch to contract service and create an
effective reserve mobilization capability.

Also last week, President Robert Kocharian and other senior officials
attended the inauguration of the new site of the U.S. Embassy in
Armenia. With five buildings sitting on over 22 acres of land (90,000
square meters), the new facility was built over four years and will
become one of the largest U.S. embassies in the world. Both Armenian
and Embassy officials noted that the new structure represents the
U.S.’ “long-term commitment to Armenia.” (Sources: Armenia This Week
4-4, 12; State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2004, April
2005; Arminfo 5-6; Mediamax 5-6; Noyan Tapan 5-6)

EX-OFFICIAL CLAIMS AZERI GOVERNMENT BEHIND TERRORIST ACTS IN GEORGIA,
RUSSIA; PLANNED ATTACKS IN ARMENIA, IRAN

Agents of Azerbaijan’s Internal Affairs Ministry (DIN) bombed
Georgia’s transport infrastructure, organized anti-Armenian attacks in
Russia and planned but failed to set off explosions in central
Yerevan, according to an official in charge at the time. Published by
the Real Azerbaijan magazine, bombshell revelations come from the
former DIN and military intelligence official Colonel Alekper
Ismailov, who was imprisoned last year on charges of treason and
collusion with alleged coup plotters. In a letter written from prison,
Ismailov details a long list of his “accomplishments” in service to
Azerbaijan and denies government accusations against him.

While other former DIN officials have already admitted that the
Ministry’s special designation units had carried out operations
against the gas pipeline and railroad that traverse Georgia on its way
to Armenia, Ismailov is the most senior such official and is first to
claim that a potentially more devastating attack was in the
works. According to him, “three tons of TNT [over 6,000 pounds] rigged
into tanker trucks in Baku were due to be exploded outside government
buildings in Yerevan,” an operation that fell through due to
government infighting in Baku in October 1994. Ismailov further claims
that attacks on Armenian churches in Tabriz, Iran were called off for
similar reasons in 1995. Ismailov alleges that he was directly in
charge of these and other operations, including a failed attempt to
bomb a Yerevan hotel and successful explosions in Georgia that left
Armenia without heat, gas and ground communications to the outside
world in the early 1990s.

After leaving DIN in 1995, Ismailov began working for the Azeri
military intelligence, where he focused on developing informers in
Russia’s North Caucasus and among the Russian community in
Azerbaijan. He was arrested last year as part of a major crackdown in
the Azeri Defense Ministry. Several dozen intra-agency rivals of
Defense Minister Safar Abiyev, including at least two of Ismailov’s
superiors, have been imprisoned or dismissed over the alleged military
coup attempt at the time of October 2003 election that formalized
Ilham Aliyev’s takeover as President from his father. (Sources: Ekho
9-4, 5-01; Armenia This Week 1-18; Real Azerbaijan 5-6)

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