AZERI MINISTER ACCUSES ARMENIA OF VIOLATING EUROPEAN ARMS TREATY

Turan news agency
13 Sep 07
Baku

Baku, 13 September: In violation of the terms of the Conventional
Forces in Europe Treaty, Armenia has an arsenal of weapons and
munitions that considerably exceeds its quota, Azerbaijani Defence
Minister Safar Abiyev said at a meeting with members of the EU-South
Caucasus parliamentary cooperation committee today.

Most of these weapons have been placed in Azerbaijan’s occurred
territories without any registration or control.

Abiyev called on international organizations and the EU to express a
"principled position" on this issue. All this compels Azerbaijan to
take "necessary measures".

He went on to threaten that Azerbaijan’s patience is not endless.

"Both from an economic and political, and military point of view,
Azerbaijan is capable of restoring its territorial integrity,"
Abiyev said.

Abiyev also answered questions from the members of the European
Parliament concerning Azerbaijan’s military budget and the Qabala
radar station.

[During the June 2007 summit of G8, Russian President Vladimir Putin
proposed that Russia and the USA jointly use Azerbaijan’s Qabala
radar station.]