NATO SEMINAR IN AZERI CAPITAL DISCUSSES ENERGY SECURITY, CONFLICTS

Ekspress
March 5 2008
Azerbaijan

A Baku-hosted seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly looked
into the military alliance’s role in securing the shipment of energy
resources from the energy-rich Caspian region to world markets, Azeri
daily Ekspress has reported. The alliance also wants to play a role
in the protection of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline although
Azerbaijani government seems reluctant to involve other players as
Russia is against NATO’s arrival in the region. Quoting a NATO officer,
the article adds that the bloc’s doors are open for Azerbaijan but
it seems undecided yet. The following is an excerpt from Alakbar
Raufoglu report in Ekspress newspaper on 7 March headlined "NATO
wants to `accompany’ transportation of our oil and gas" and subheaded
"Rose-Roth seminar of NATO Parliamentary Assembly opened in Baku";
subheadings as published:

The 68th Rose-Roth seminar of NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA)
got underway in Baku yesterday. The key topic of the seminar is to
examine the military alliance’s role in securing the transportation
of energy resources of the Caspian Sea and Central Asia to Europe.

The discussions are attended by over 100 delegates from 25 countries,
including 60 parliamentarians.

A NATO representative told Ekspress newspaper that the military
alliance had already some time ago submitted to Baku a specific action
plan for the Azerbaijani power structures to coordinate actions in
ensuring energy security. The document deems it important for the
government to coordinate forces in combating terrorism and maintaining
energy security.

"The Brussels-initiated document also envisages joint initiatives
on the protection of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline," the
source added.

[Passage omitted: Reference to Robert Simmons’ earlier remarks]

In his turn, the Azerbaijani permanent representative to NATO, Kamil
Xasiyev, believes that although Baku raised energy-related issues
within the framework of overall security cooperation with NATO and
other international organizations, "no proposals were forwarded with
regard to the protection of the oil pipeline": "Both individually
and jointly Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey are taking measures to
maintain security of the oil pipeline. On the other hand, one should
not forget that one of the owners of the BTC is Turkey, which is a
member of NATO, and the security-related standards of the alliance are
applied whenever it is needed. It is possible that the NATO official
expressed his opinion proceeding from these aspects."

Baku considers that Azerbaijan is ready to response to threats
and intimidation to its own national interests. At the same time,
cooperation with international organizations and countries is not
ruled out.

Let us recall that mainly Russia is against the protection of the BTC
by NATO. Moscow considers that the military alliance wants to come
to Caucasus under the pretext of energy security which is against
"Russia’s national interests".

[Passage omitted: Azerbaijani Speaker Oqtay Asadov addressed the
opening session]

NATO is inviting, Baku is pondering…

In general, Azerbaijani officials are drawing attention to a new
phase in the country’s contribution to Europe’s energy security and
the integration process towards NATO. Nevertheless, so far Baku is
quite cautious about speaking on a "membership" issue.

"If we feel that NATO membership is conducive to the resolution of
Azerbaijan’s potential problems, we’ll make for it," officials of
the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry say.

Deputy Speaker of the Milli Maclis Ziyafat Asgarov considers that
the membership issue does not solely depend on Azerbaijan, and that
positions of NATO and other sides have to be taken heed of them:
"Azerbaijan will consider membership of NATO once everyone is ready
for it."

Baku has repeatedly said that Azerbaijan does not want to speculate
with NATO and will proceed from its own interests. NATO’s liaison
officer for South Caucasus Zbigniew Ribacki told an Ekspress
correspondent that Azerbaijan’s NATO membership depends on itself. He
drew attention to the point that relations with NATO, along with
other sectors, envisage defence and security reforms. The special
representative believes that Azerbaijan plays an important role on
NATO’s agenda.

It is no secret that with its efforts to pursue a balanced regional
policy, Azerbaijan is uncertain about integration into NATO. In
its turn, the military alliance is expecting Azerbaijan to make a
strategic choice. "Our doors are open, countries may come to this
door after only implementing procedural measures," Ribacki said.

Jose Lello: "There are threats along our border"

In his turn, NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Jose Lello considers
that the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, the Balkans and Central
Asia, are on the focus of the northern alliance. "Because there are
dangers on borders of Europe, NATO is anxious about them."

Lello also stressed that "NATO has fundamental interests in the Caspian
region". "NATO has been already strengthening its energy and security
positions on Europe’s border regions."

The president highlighted at the seminar that the current state of
affairs on the eastern and western parts of the Caspian Sea would
be discussed: "The situation in the South Caucasus, border issues,
the Nagornyy Karabakh, Abkhaz and the South Ossetia conflicts, energy
security and its significance for Europe, the situation in Central
Asia, democracy, human rights and the role of Islam, cooperation
with China and Russia, Central Asia – Afghanistan relations these
are topical issues for us and we shall discuss them here."

The seminar will continue its work today. The special representative
of NATO Secretary-General, Robert Simmons, and the representative
of the European Union for the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, will
address the seminar today.

OSCE representative: "Kosovo might set a precedent for Karabakh"

Incidentally, a contradictory statement of yesterday’s seminar came
from the OSCE Secretariat Senior Advisor Dov Lynch. In his opinion,
"although the Kosovo and Nagornyy Karabakh problems are different,
one can say that Kosovo may set a precedent for conflicts like
Nagornyy Karabakh"

At the same time, Lynch stressed that an escalation of tension and
confrontation "give impulse to the emergence of separatist movements":
"Therefore, we have to make the sides to sit at the negotiations
table."

Baku’s wish from NATO…

The Rose-Roth seminar was also remembered with Azerbaijan’s appeal
to NATO member countries over "the frozen conflicts". Baku wants the
NATO members and partner states to support the GUAM-initiated document
at the UN General Assembly over the Nagornyy Karabakh, Dniestr and
South Ossetia conflicts, as a group of countries led by Russia and
Armenia is against this document.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress