BAKU ARMS ITSELF
by Sohbet Mamedov
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 25, 2007, pp. 1, 7
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 27, 2007 Wednesday

Lack Of Progress In Karabakh Conflict Settlement Compels Baku To
Consider A Solution By Sheer Strength Of Arms;

Enraged by the lack of progress in Nagorno-Karabakh talks, Azerbaijan
considers a war on Armenia.

Its budget upped to $1 billion, Azerbaijan is actively buying weapons
and military hardware from foreign countries and making its own. The
national military-industrial complex is expected to send the first
articles to the Azerbaijani Armed Forces by the end of the year.

Addressing graduates from military colleges, President Ilham Aliyev
did not say exactly what the military-industrial complex was going
to provide referring to sensitive information. "There is no progress
in the Karabakh talks because of Armenia’s unproductive position and
insincerity," he said before adding that the international community
was with Azerbaijan. "Nagorno-Karabakh will never be granted
sovereignty or given a chance to merge with Armenia. Azerbaijan
will be keeping Armenia under pressure." According to the president,
a.k.a. supreme commander-in-chief, Azerbaijan does not want a war but
neither can negotiations be eternal. As far as Aliyev is concerned,
Armenia does not stand a chance against Azerbaijan because "the
Armenians even lack manpower for the front line" and because the
Azerbaijani economy is seven times stronger than Armenia and the gap
will only increase over the next several years. Aliyev’s confidence
is also fuelled by experts of the World Bank who claim that oil
projects alone will earn Azerbaijan almost $200 million over the next
two decade.

Matthew Bryza, American Chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, is of a
different frame of mind. Commenting on the results of Aliyev’s talks
with Robert Kocharjan of Armenia in St.Petersburg on June 9-10 for
the VOA Russian Service, the US diplomat said the involved parties
were close to a compromise and that the negotiations might be renewed
this autumn. According to Bryza, chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group have
been discussing principles of crisis resolution these past two years.

"These principles will determine Karabakh’s status by a nationwide
referendum taking place against the background of some major
developments including withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the
surrounding territories, the establishment of a corridor between
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, and deployment of international
peacekeeping contingents in the region," Bryza said."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress