AZG Armenian Daily #147, 20/08/2005
Neighbors
AZERBAIJAN RAISES ALARM OVER TRANSPORTATION OF NEW RUSSIAN MILITARY
EQUIPMENT TO ARMENIA
Aliyev Struggles to Justify Close Ties With Russia Before the US
Turkish Milli Gazet informed from Baku on August 18 that Azerbaijan
assigns more money for the military sector as a result of the
decision to transfer Russian military equipment from Georgia to
Armenia. Official sources notify that the state budget of Azerbaijan
allotted additional $50 million to the armed forces raising the
overall sum to $300 million.
According to the Turkish paper, Azeri Defense Ministry informed
Nezavisimaya Gazeta that “the Russian military equipment was located
in Berd and Ijevan towns of Tavush province bordering Azerbaijan”. A
representative of the Ministry stated in the Russian paper: “The
102d Russian base of Gyumri was not able to receive the equipment
from Georgia at this point. To settle that issue Armenian government
leased those regions neighboring with Azerbaijan to Russians”.
The Turkish paper notes that Armenia’s accumulation of Russian arms
makes Baku deepen relations with the US and Turkey in the military
sphere. The Azeri press quotes the aforesaid source as saying that
the Azeri foreign affairs minister had closed door discussions
with a Pentagon representative in Washington over the issue of
transportation of Russian weapons to Armenia. The Azeri Defense
Ministry has indirectly confirmed this information.
It’s hard to say how correct the information of both Turkish and
Azeri papers and the Azeri Ministry on accumulation of Russian arms in
Armenia is. But one thing is clear: it’s a ploy to justify military
expanses that go higher on the curve in Azerbaijan with every year
and the militant policy of the Azeri authorities.
It’s noteworthy that by putting this information in circulation
Baku hopes to secure a valid justification to Russia for giving in
to Washington’s demands. That’s the reason why the Turkish paper
views Azerbaijan’s military cooperation with America and Turkey as
a necessity stemming out from accumulation of Russian arms in Armenia.
President Ilham Aliyev seems to have no other alternative but to
put an end to his close relations with Russia due to the situation
on international arena. The absence of alternative makes the Azeri
authorities trumpet about new Russian military equipment in Armenia,
and their voice creates necessary conditions to turn down Russia’s
company and justify its unifications with the US.
When a state comes across the imperative of justifying its militant
policy and getting justified before the US, rootless information it
possesses comes to form the core of its propaganda. President Aliyev
has no alternate for disorientating the world community even in the
issue of transportation of Russian arms to Armenia and he forcedly
takes falsification.
The fact of misinformation should be considered imperative as Aliyev
comes closer to Russia in situation when US influence grows in
Azerbaijan and the EU takes ground. The reason — to maneuver between
them. The crises within EU turned Aliyev’s attempts futile. In the
created situation he gave momentum to the attempts to draw closer
to Russia but pressure from the international community on the eve
of parliamentary elections and the threat of “colorful revolution”
brought them to naught.
Deprived of the chance to balance the US influence in Azerbaijan,
Aliyev faced the need to justify himself before the Americans for
rubbing shoulders with Russia and that made him start a search for
Russian weapons at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
By Hakob Chakrian