BAKU WILL DEMAND AN EXPLANATION FROM TBILISI FOR `SCANDALOUS AGREEMENT’
by Casur Sumarinli
Ayna
Nov 15 2008
Azerbaijan
The Tbilisi agreement between the Armenian and Georgian defence
ministers runs against security interests of Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry may ask official Tbilisi to comment
on an agreement reached at a meeting between the Armenian and Georgian
defence ministers in Tbilisi, Ayna has learnt from a source at the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. As of now, such a document is being
drafted and the public will soon be informed to this end, the source
said. On 12 November, Georgian Defence Minister Davit Kezerashvili had
a meeting with Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan in Tbilisi. At
a briefing for the media at the end of the meeting, Davit Kezerashvili
said that cooperation in the defence sphere between Georgia and
Armenia had deepened. [Passage omitted: Reference to the Tbilisi
meeting between the Georgian and Armenian defence bosses]
Official Baku to ask Tbilisi three questions
Official Baku has three questions to ask in connection with the meeting
between the Georgian and Armenian defence ministers, Ayna has learnt.
– What is behind the agreement enabling Armenia to use the Georgian
territory as transit and what does this agreement serve against the
backdrop of the strategic alliance between Tbilisi and Baku?
– To what extent are reports true that armoured hardware in the
arsenal of the Armenian armed forces would be repaired and upgraded
at the Tbilisi tank repairs plant?
– How reliable is a statement by the Armenian defence minister that
not a second military base is being built in his country? What were
Ohanyan’s arguments?
A correspondent of Ayna failed to elaborate this report with Xazar
Ibrahim, the spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. X. Ibrahim
said he was unaware of details of the meeting between Kezerashvili
and Ohanyan.
Actually, from time to time, there were reports that military armoured
hardware of Armenia and the Karabakh separatists was repaired at the
Tbilisi tank plant. And exactly such facts chilled to a certain extent
the relations between Baku and Tbilisi in early 2000.
The plant was transferred to the property of the Georgian Defence
Ministry in February 2005. Prior to this, the Tbilisi-based plant
was at the disposal of the Russian troops in the South Caucasus. In
2004-2005, Georgia and the command of the groups of troops in
question proposed their services for repairs of Azerbaijani armoured
hardware. However, at that time, Baku turned down the proposal due
to services of the plant to hostile Yerevan.
According to reports, the issue in question was discussed by military
experts of the two countries in 2006-2007, and as a result, Baku
and Tbilisi managed to find a common language. Baku said it does
not want the plant to repair Armenian tanks, in its turn, official
Tbilisi said it was ready to refuse from repairing Armenian tanks
under certain conditions. However, it was not made public what those
conditions were. The issue was also discussed at a meeting between
Kezerashvili and his Azerbaijani counterpart Safar Abiyev in July 2007
in Baku. However, later it was said that Baku turned down Tbilisi’s
proposal at all. Reports coming in at that time said that Azerbaijan
rely on its military industrial complex in this issue.
Georgian-Armenian military ties run against Azerbaijan
We should say that the Tbilisi tank repair plant has been upgraded
with the support of NATO. Exactly, this aspect drew the attention of
the Armenian general. Official Yerevan considers that the repair of
armoured hardware in the arsenal of the Armenian army in Tbilisi are
very advantageous for the Armenian side in terms of finance and time
limit. In its turn, Georgia does not want to lose a customer like
Armenia, obviously, though this is against Azerbaijan’s security
interests and the existing strategic allied relations between the
two countries.
In an interview with a correspondent of Ayna, the military expert,
retired Lt-Col Uzeyir Cafarov, has described the agreement achieved
in Tbilisi as "more advantageous for Armenia". The expert believes
that from now on, the Armenian side will try to benefit from the
military agreement with Georgia.
The expert believes that the repair of armoured hardware in the arsenal
of the Armenian army at the Tbilisi tank repair plant is obvious:
"If not for 100 per cent, then a considerable amount of the Armenian
tanks will be repaired in Tbilisi. However, no doubt that Russia
would try to have own benefit from this deal and not let a customer
like Armenia to go."
As for an agreement to use the Georgian territory as a transit,
Cafarov said that actually, this should be treated as normal from the
point of view of relations between the two countries but Azerbaijan
should also know who her friends are.
Russia, Armenia exert pressure on Georgia, expert
"Sometimes, we should remind Georgia what and who it depends on some
issues. If Azerbaijan supplies this country with oil and gas, then
Tbilisi has to weigh up its steps it took or would take with regard to
Yerevan. However, obviously, official Tbilisi has chosen another way. I
have difficulties in understanding the latest steps of the Georgian
authorities," said Cafarov. He believes there is an acute need for
Baku to have serious discussions with Georgia on the issue in question.
Another expert, whom Ayna asked for his opinion, said that the reason
behind Armenia’s intention to use Georgian territory as transit is
obvious. It is an open secret that Ohanyan wants to hand weapons and
military hardware, to be procured from Russia, over to the arsenal
of the Armenian army via Georgia. And it is beyond doubt that a
considerable part of the procured weapons and military hardware will
be given to the Armenian troops stationed in the occupied Azerbaijani
territories.
We should say that several Georgian political experts have
already said that the agreement between Tbilisi and Yerevan
will irritate Azerbaijan. For instance, political expert Malkhaz
Matsaberidze said that the achievement of the agreement on "weapons
transit" is the result of the Russian and Armenian pressures on
Georgia. "Otherwise, there might emerge extra problems in a number
of regions of Georgia. Deadlocked, Georgia has no other way out,"
Malkhaz Matsaberidze said, adding that this agreement would irritate
Azerbaijan. However, he hopes that official Tbilisi would manage to
persuade official Baku that there was no other way out.
In an interview with Zerkalo, Georgian deputy ambassador to Azerbaijan
Nikolo Gogitidze touched upon points of interests. He said that
Armenia-bound cargoes have been carried through Georgian territory
since 1994.
As for military cargoes, the diplomat said that if Armenia purchases
tanks from Ukraine, then these cargoes are delivered to the Georgian
port of Poti and are sent further to this country by train. "There are
no other routes. The borders between Turkey and Armenia are closed,"
the deputy ambassador said, adding that no weapons can be transferred
to Armenia from Russia through Georgia.
"Russia is an occupying country and is now occupying Georgian lands. I
would relinquish my diplomatic credentials if this was otherwise. This
is my position as a citizen and a diplomat," he said.
The Georgian diplomat pledged to further comment on the issue after
consulting his country’s Foreign Ministry. As it seems, obviously,
the issue is more complicated. The Georgian diplomat to Azerbaijan has
openly stated that Armenia’s weapons and military hardware procured
from Ukraine are delivered to Armenia through his [Georgian] territory.
In its turn, Ukraine and Azerbaijan are strategic allies in the GUAM
[regional alliance of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia]. Baku
and Kiev have comprehensive economic, political and military relations
and the two countries have always supported each other at international
organizations, especially, on the issue of "frozen conflicts".
Given this, how can we understand that the two member countries of
the GUAM Ukraine and Georgia help Armenia in its efforts to arm its
army? For sure, this should be one of the important questions for
official Baku…[ellipses as published]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress