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Pathetic. For all those not aware, Azerbaidjan will be hosting a NATO friendship military exercise this month. Armenia is invited, but Azerbaidjan had at first declined to allow the armenian delegation to come. They finally accepted when a NATO general FROM TURKEY told Azerbaidjan that if they are unwilling to host any country that belongs to the program, the activities will take place somewhere else.
Armenia had hosted the exercises last year, a story that caused a slight controvery because it brought a turkish general on armenian soil (actually, turkish generals and soldiers are walking around freely on armenian soil right now). Azerbaidjan had refused to participate.
I will be praying for the security of our representatives in these exercises. I hope some fanatics actually do attempt something and fail. It would just prove that the azeris failed to beat us yet again, and it would make their government look weak both at home, and in the international community. The pacifist in me, however, wants to see these operations run smoothly, and our delegation's safe return to Yerevan.
Kudos to our government for always taking the high road in such cases, and for demonstrating which side is really rooting for peace.
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Azeri pressure group plans "unexpected incidents" for Armenian military
Ekho, Baku
8 Jan 04
A few days ago the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) called on the
Azerbaijani authorities to ban a visit to Baku by an Armenian Defence
Ministry delegation for NATO's Cooperative Best Effort-2004 conference
at the start of January. In addition, the KLO threatened to take
measures to prevent the Armenian military from visiting Azerbaijan.
The reaction of the Armenian side was made public yesterday
[7 January]. The Armenian military are planning to attend the
Baku conference, the head of the Armenian Defence Ministry public
relations department, Seyran Shakhsuvaryan, told Yerkir news agency in Yerevan. [Passage omitted: details of Shakhsuvaryan's statement]
"If the Armenians insist on their visit, they will regret it because
the mood of Azerbaijani society is very negative," the KLO chairman, Akif Nagi, said, in comments on Shakhsuvaryan's statement.
Nagi said that "a round table" of rights activists and veterans of the Karabakh war would be held on 9 January on the KLO's initiative. The round table will issue a special statement in connection with the Armenian visit to Baku. Nagi added that various protest actions would be staged on the day of the Armenian military delegation's arrival in Baku. He also said that the Armenian military would face "unexpected incidents". True, Nagi declined to explain what he meant.
Nagi expressed surprise at the position of Azerbaijani officials,
particularly of Defence Minister Safar Abiyev and the head of the
foreign relations department of the Presidential Executive Staff,
Novruz Mammadov. Abiyev and Mammadov said that they understand the Azerbaijani people's dissatisfaction, but the Azerbaijani authorities could not prevent the Armenian delegation from visiting Baku as they had been invited by NATO.
"Aren't we masters in this country? Maybe terrorist [Usamah]
Bin-Ladin will be invited here tomorrow, then what, should we keep silent about this as well?" Nagi said. He added that the KLO used to stage 40-50-strong protest actions in the past, but everything would be different this time round. Nagi promised to stage massive actions and invited everybody, including officials, to join them.
Meanwhile, an employee of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, who
requested anonymity, told Ekho that any possible incidents during
the Armenian delegation's visit could have a negative impact on
Azerbaijan's international image. He denied the report that the
Armenian military delegation would consist of three generals. "There has been no official information about members of the Armenian delegation as yet," the source said. He added that special security measures would be in place for the Armenian delegation.
Armenia had hosted the exercises last year, a story that caused a slight controvery because it brought a turkish general on armenian soil (actually, turkish generals and soldiers are walking around freely on armenian soil right now). Azerbaidjan had refused to participate.
I will be praying for the security of our representatives in these exercises. I hope some fanatics actually do attempt something and fail. It would just prove that the azeris failed to beat us yet again, and it would make their government look weak both at home, and in the international community. The pacifist in me, however, wants to see these operations run smoothly, and our delegation's safe return to Yerevan.
Kudos to our government for always taking the high road in such cases, and for demonstrating which side is really rooting for peace.
*******************************************
Azeri pressure group plans "unexpected incidents" for Armenian military
Ekho, Baku
8 Jan 04
A few days ago the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) called on the
Azerbaijani authorities to ban a visit to Baku by an Armenian Defence
Ministry delegation for NATO's Cooperative Best Effort-2004 conference
at the start of January. In addition, the KLO threatened to take
measures to prevent the Armenian military from visiting Azerbaijan.
The reaction of the Armenian side was made public yesterday
[7 January]. The Armenian military are planning to attend the
Baku conference, the head of the Armenian Defence Ministry public
relations department, Seyran Shakhsuvaryan, told Yerkir news agency in Yerevan. [Passage omitted: details of Shakhsuvaryan's statement]
"If the Armenians insist on their visit, they will regret it because
the mood of Azerbaijani society is very negative," the KLO chairman, Akif Nagi, said, in comments on Shakhsuvaryan's statement.
Nagi said that "a round table" of rights activists and veterans of the Karabakh war would be held on 9 January on the KLO's initiative. The round table will issue a special statement in connection with the Armenian visit to Baku. Nagi added that various protest actions would be staged on the day of the Armenian military delegation's arrival in Baku. He also said that the Armenian military would face "unexpected incidents". True, Nagi declined to explain what he meant.
Nagi expressed surprise at the position of Azerbaijani officials,
particularly of Defence Minister Safar Abiyev and the head of the
foreign relations department of the Presidential Executive Staff,
Novruz Mammadov. Abiyev and Mammadov said that they understand the Azerbaijani people's dissatisfaction, but the Azerbaijani authorities could not prevent the Armenian delegation from visiting Baku as they had been invited by NATO.
"Aren't we masters in this country? Maybe terrorist [Usamah]
Bin-Ladin will be invited here tomorrow, then what, should we keep silent about this as well?" Nagi said. He added that the KLO used to stage 40-50-strong protest actions in the past, but everything would be different this time round. Nagi promised to stage massive actions and invited everybody, including officials, to join them.
Meanwhile, an employee of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, who
requested anonymity, told Ekho that any possible incidents during
the Armenian delegation's visit could have a negative impact on
Azerbaijan's international image. He denied the report that the
Armenian military delegation would consist of three generals. "There has been no official information about members of the Armenian delegation as yet," the source said. He added that special security measures would be in place for the Armenian delegation.
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