IF PEACEFUL TALKS REGARDING NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT DON’T YIELD ANY RESULTS, AZERI ARMED FORCES TAKE STEPS – AZERI DM
Author: S.Ilhamgizi

TREND, Azerbaijan
Oct 17 2006

We hope that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be
settled peacefully. However, should the talks prove to be unsuccessful,
the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan will, with the determination of the
Azeri people and the approval of the State Head, take action to release
the Azerbaijan land from the Armenian invaders, the Azerbaijan Defense
Minister, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev stated on 16 October in Baku
during the meeting with the delegation of the Ad Hoc Committee for
Future Defense and Security of the Defense and Security Committee
of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly which was headed by the Chairman,
Vahid Erdem.

The Defense Minister stressed that Azerbaijan co-operated with NATO
in 1994 within the framework of the Program "Partnership for peace",
and since 2004 the co-operation has been continuing on the basis of
the Individual Partnership Action Plan. Abiyev informed the delegates
of the military-political situation in the region of South Caucasus,
as well as the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. He
stressed that placing large military arsenals in the Azerbaijani
territories occupied by Armenia imposes serious threats for the
large-scale economical projects in the region.

Erdem voiced his confidence that the conflict will be resolved
peacefully. He was interested in the structure of the Azerbaijani
Armed Forces, the military budget and the character of co-operation
with NATO. He stated that the participation of the Azerbaijani Armed
Forces in the peacemaking operations carried out by NATO testifies that
the relations between Azerbaijan and NATO are developing favorably.