ARMENIA OUTRAN AZERBAIJAN?
by R. Orudzhev
Translated by Pavel Pushkin

Source: Echo (Baku), February 10, 2007, p. EV
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
February 14, 2007 Wednesday

Observers in Azerbaijan have differing opinions about adoption of
the national security strategy by Yerevan

AZERBAIJANI EXPERTS COMMENT ON ADOPTION OF A NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY
BY ARMENIA; This week, President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, signed a
decree approving the national security council of Armenia. The Armenian
parliament has already passed the document and henceforth it can be
considered in effect. This is sad but true, in the sense that Armenia
has managed to beat Azerbaijan in a document vital for the defense of
the state. Just a few years ago, the Azerbaijani President instructed
a number of agencies to organize a joint commission and to develop
a national security concept and a military doctrine of Azerbaijan.

This week, President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, signed a decree
approving the national security council of Armenia. The Armenian
parliament has already passed the document and henceforth it can be
considered in effect.

This is sad but true, in the sense that Armenia has managed to beat
Azerbaijan in a document vital for the defense of the state. Just
a few years ago, the Azerbaijani President instructed a number of
agencies to organize a joint commission and to develop a national
security concept and a military doctrine of Azerbaijan

In his comments, Zakhid Orudzh, member of the permanent parliamentary
defense and national security commission, said first of all that
"Azerbaijan has the law "On national security." It describes many
provisions related to strategy and it is possible to say that this
is a counterpart of a national security concept. I can also say that
in some countries this basic document is called on the parliamentary
level a "concept" or "strategy" and in some countries it receives
the form of a legislative act. When this document is called a law it
does not look as impressive as, for example, strategy. In reality,
the efforts dedicated by specialists of the Azerbaijani state power
bodies of creation of the law "On national security" enable us to
say that, according to its importance, this document is mofd than a
"concept" passed by Armenia or any other country. We enacted our law
back in 2004. I know that Russia is currently renovating its relevant
documents and calls it a "concept," too. It is possible to say that
Armenia has taken this activeness of the Russian party as an example
and has decided to announce the creation of its own "strategy" on
the basis of this development."

According to the expert, this circumstance is directly connected
with Russian troops stationed in Armenia and that all armament and
technologies used in the Armenian army have a Russian origin. Orudzh
adds, "At any rate, I do not think that our position in the region
or in the world has been somehow shaken due to the appearance of a
"strategy" in Armenia. Moreover, it does not influence the real
state of affairs with regard to a possibility of providing national
security in Armenia and Azerbaijan. I think it is impossible to draw
such conclusions on the basis of any documents. Along with this,
it is clear that we should work on new projects in the development
of documents dealing with national security. National security is
simply a specific area where novelties of various kinds can appear
almost daily. For example, the US makes serious amendments to its
military doctrine and national security concept almost monthly."

Along with this, Orudzh says that, of course, Americans leave the
basic provisions of these documents untouched. He adds, "I believe
that Azerbaijan should follow the example of America and should
renovate its national security strategy. We also need to adopt a
military doctrine of our own. Moreover, at various meetings related
to cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani officials
announced frequently and openly that work on our national concept
and doctrine was already accomplished. That is why we need to
coordinate separate provisions of the developed documents with a
number of agencies as soon as possible in the political, diplomatic
and economic sense and to propose them for consideration to parliament.

In general, I think that by its actions, Armenia has not outrun
Azerbaijan in security provisions and from the standpoint of the
capabilities our country remains far ahead."

Independent military expert Uzeir Dzhafarov says that "as in many
other aspects, we lag behind in the adoption of a national security
concept and a military doctrine. Back in 2003, when I served for a
military research center in the Defense Ministry, the doctrine was
being prepared. Four years have passed since then. Recently, Ziyafet
Askerov, chair of the parliamentary defense and national security
commission, announced that Azerbaijan would adopt its doctrine in
2008. This is no good! The will of the authorities should be manifested
at this point but I do not see such a wish yet."