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AZERBAIJAN TRIES TO THWART ARMENIA-NATO COOPERATION

Politics

Washington, DC - The Armenian Assembly of America this week mobilized its ranks to protest an effective ban by Azerbaijan on Armenian participation in a NATO planning conference in Baku Jan. 13-15, calling for a change of venue for planned military exercises later this year in the absence of a change in official Azerbaijan policy.

The U.S. State Department said it too was disappointed that an official delegation from the Armenian Ministry of Defense was unable to attend the initial planning conference for the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Cooperative Best Effort (CBE) - 2004.

In Yerevan, the Foreign Ministry said while it condemned Azerbaijan's action, Armenia remained "committed to the principle of constructive dialogue within the framework of the Partnership, and despite the unacceptable behavior of Azerbaijan, will continue to undertake every effort to contribute to the development of regional cooperation."

The Ministry said Azerbaijan's exclusion of Armenia from the NATO conference was not only "inconsistent with ... the premise of the Partnership for Peace Program", but also went against statements from NATO Director of the Partnership Coordination, Turkish Maj. Gen. Durusoy, which confirm that "Azerbaijan has no right of taking any measure to prevent Armenian military's participation in the exercises" set for September 2004.

Despite Durosoy's assertion and an official NATO invitation for Armenia to attend the conference, the Azerbaijani Embassy in the Georgian capital of Tiblisi on Jan. 12 denied Armenian Defense Ministry officials entry visas. The three Armenian Defense Ministry representatives were then re-routed by NATO officials to Turkey for the purpose of boarding an Istanbul-Baku flight. Turkish officials, in obvious and apparent cooperation with Azerbaijan, also prohibited the group's travel.

The Azerbaijani action came as NATO marked the 10th anniversary of PfP, a program created in 1994 to help partner countries - including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and 24 others - to enhance defense cooperation, reinforce stability and reduce the risk of conflict.

In fact, in June 2003, Armenia hosted CBE-2003 - the first-ever military exercises in Armenia that involved Turkish military forces. Azerbaijan was also invited by NATO to attend, but chose not to participate.

Faced with Azerbaijan's negative stance, the Armenian Assembly of America launched a major grassroots campaign, enlisting the help of its large constituency to alert friends in the U.S. House and Senate. If Azerbaijan does not live up to its commitments and refuses to fulfill its responsibilities as the host country to the September military exercises, then NATO should consider moving the exercises to another host country willing to do so, the Armenian Assembly of America said.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.