AZERBAIJAN IS READY TO OFFICIALLY ADDRESS BRUSSELS WITH REQUEST ON MEMBERSHIP IN NATO

arminfo
2007-03-06 12:50:00

Azerbaijan is in principle ready to officially address Brussels with
request regarding its membership in NATO, "Zerkalo" Baku daily had
become aware from the informed diplomatic sources. According to the
source, official Baku does not hurry in this direction since it has
serious reasons.

The point is that after a official address, if a positive decision
is made at the next Summit of NATO, the sides will have to pass
to a regime of intensive dialogue. This period lasts from three
to five years. The problem is that the NATO, at the stage of an
intensive dialogue, does not provide its member candidates with
security guarantees. However, according to the source, the function
of Azerbaijan’s security guarantee may be assumed by another NATO
country, Turkey, by approbation of Washington. The source noted that
active negotiations are being held in this direction.

According to it, a package of agreements on a military-political
cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey is being prepared on one
hand, and between Turkey and Georgia – on the other hand. The source
noted that Brussels is irritated not only at the delay of the official
address by Baku but also at the fact that Azerbaijan, unlike Armenia,
does not fulfill, even by halves, the engagements it assumed within
the frames of the Program of Individual Cooperation with NATO.