Azeri-US military ties seen as response to Russian deployment in Armenia

Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow
12 Aug 05

The upcoming transfer of some of Russia’s military hardware from
Georgia to Armenia is creating serious problems for Azerbaijan’s
security, the republic’s military department believes. As Nezavisimaya
Gazeta was told by a source in the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry,
according to reports being received, “plots of land in Armenia’s
Tavush, Berdsk, and Idzhevan provinces, which border on Azerbaijan,
have been set aside for the stationing of Russian military
hardware”. According to the newspaper’s source, Russia’s 102nd
Military Base in Gyumri is currently incapable of receiving all the
military hardware being withdrawn from Georgia. In order to resolve
this problem the Armenian authorities have rented out new plots of
land near the border with Azerbaijan.

Baku is undoubtedly concerned about this prospect and is taking
appropriate measures. First of all, the budget item for the military
department’s funding has been reviewed. According to official
information, spending on strengthening the country’s defence capability
has been increased by almost 50m dollars and now amounts to 300m
dollars. Together with this, links are being strengthened with the
military department of Turkey, whose senior military officials have
become frequent visitors to Baku. Certain steps are also being taken
to establish military cooperation with the United States. The Baku
press maintains that the topic of the stationing of Russian military
hardware in Armenia was discussed in Washington at a recent closed
meeting between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and the
Pentagon leadership. True, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry prefers
not to talk about this, but it confirms that the military-political
situation in the South Caucasus was among the matters discussed during
the minister’s Transatlantic trip.

Many Baku experts believe that cooperation with the United States will
not be restricted to technical and financial aid. Many US experts
believe the same. For example, Michael Baranick, a representative
of the US National Defence University’s Centre for Technology and
National Security Policy, is sure that “Azerbaijan is becoming a
very significant country for the United States”. In his analysis,
Baranick points out: “If we have to leave Uzbekistan, someone has to
kick-start talks on stationing bases in Azerbaijan.”

This statement was made against the backdrop of reports leaked to
the media claiming that Pentagon boss Donald Rumsfeld is to visit
Baku again in August. Local analysts predict that following this visit
official Baku may review its position and will consent to a US military
presence on its territory. Experts believe that the Azerbaijani
authorities will thereby achieve at least two objectives: they will
create a counterweight to Russian military might in Armenia and will
secure Washington’s endorsement of the results of the parliamentary
elections due in November.