ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY COMMENTS ON ILHAM ALIYEV’S REGULAR MILITARY STATEMENTS

arminfo
2008-01-18 21:33:00

ArmInfo. "Judging from the volume and tone of comments from
Azerbaijan’s President, there is a clear sense of desperation in
Azerbaijan", – Spokesman of Foreign Ministry Vladimir Karapetyan said
commenting on the latest statements of Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev, at the request of ArmInfo correspondent.

According to him, after all, on all fronts, without any exception,
Azerbaijan is either behind the international standard or going
against prevailing international trends. First, there is panic with
regard to the international community’s increasing understanding with
regard to issues of self-determination.

Second, on economic and social issues, Azerbaijan’s rankings are
problematic. In an unfortunate coincidence for him, the President’s
comments about their economic strength and their state building
achievements came on the heels of three different reputable intl
indices which demonstrate that there is reason for the panic, and that
the President’s comments are simply aimed at misleading his public.

The Heritage Foundation Wall Street Journal’s Economic Freedom Index
has Armenia at 28th, near the top, while Azerbaijan is 107 out of
162 countries rated.

In the Freedom House rankings of the democratic standings of states,
Armenia is considered Partly Free, while Azerbaijan remains Not Free,
as in years past.

The Foreign Policy Index of Failed States, in a study of 177 countries,
Armenia places 50 places above Azerbaijan.

There is hardly an international index, including those of Human
rights and Freedom of Speech, where Azerbaijan’s ranking even
approaches Armenia’s.

Furthermore, according to World Bank data, despite Azerbaijan’s
enormous resources, they have barely caught up with Armenia’s per
capita income.

Finally, with all their rhetoric on military strength, experts predict
that, at this rate of growth and military buildup, Azerbaijan will
require 10-15 years to begin to challenge Armenia’s armed forces.

Given all this, these baseless Azerbaijani statements simply offer
their own population false information thus diverting them from the
real challenges that they face.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress