FRANCE READY TO SIGN DEFENCE DOCUMENT WITH AZERBAIJAN

news.az
Feb 17 2010
Azerbaijan

Flag of France France is ready to sign a defence cooperation document
with Azerbaijan, similar to one it signed recently with Armenia.

The French embassy in Baku issued a statement to this effect in
response to concerns at the technical understanding on defence
cooperation signed by the French and Armenian defence ministers in
Paris on 10 February.

The document signed with Armenia sets out topics for administrative
cooperation between the defence ministries of both countries. This
cooperation applies to concepts of defence and security and the
organization of the armed forces (democratic control over the
armed forces, the organization of the command, administration and
management of personnel, military education and language learning,
public relations, law, military history, tribunals and health). The
document clearly shows there will be no exchange of classified
information and material, the embassy said.

The statement stresses that France, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group mediators on the Karabakh conflict, "attaches importance to
the preservation of neutrality in its relations with Azerbaijan
and Armenia, and none of the items in this document questions this
neutrality".

"It is in this spirit of neutrality that France proposes signing
a similar document with Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani government has
not yet formally responded to France’s proposal which remains on the
table," the statement said.