WILL ARMENIA NOT TAKE PART IN NATO EXERCISES DUE TO FACT THAT THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ALLIANCE SUPPORTED THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN?

Today.Az
itics/52037.html
May 5 2009
Azerbaijan

According to the Aravot newspaper, Armenia did not take part in NATO
exercises "Cooperative Longbow 09/Cooperative Lancer 09" to be held
in Tbilisi May 6-June1.

According to newspaper sources, the reason for this step is that in
the course of a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in Brussels 29 April, NATO Secretary General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer issued a statement supporting the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan.

Notably, for various reasons Latvia, Estonia and Kazakhstan will not
take part in NATO exercises.

Official Yerevan has not yet commented on rumors about the refusal
by Armenia to participate in NATO exercises in Georgia. Spokesman for
the Minister of Defense of Armenia, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan said
that the information on the refusal or the participation of Armenian
militaries in NATO exercises in the territory of Georgia will be
declared by the Foreign Ministry of Armenia.

Meanwhile, sources in the Foreign Ministry reported that the Armenian
side refuses to participate in exercises of Cooperative Longbow and
Cooperative Lancer in Georgia.