ARMENIA CALLS NATO TO RECONSIDER EXPEDIENCY OF HOLDING "PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE" MANEUVERS IN AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net - The NATO leadership has to draw corresponding conclusions from the Azeri authorities impeding participation of the Armenian delegation in the Baku conference on planning "Cooperative Best Effort-2004" NATO exercises. Chief of the foreign relations and international cooperation department of the Armenian defense ministry Mikayel Melkonian told it to journalists. In his opinion, NATO even has to consider the issue of expediency of holding the other phases of the exercises within "Partnership for Peace." Such a stand by Azerbaijan was not surprising for us, the military said. In his words, it has both foreign and internal policy motives. "Within the past two years the Azeri party makes use all international rostrums to attract attention of the international community to the Nagorno Karabakh issue and to make mendacious and ungrounded accusations against Armenia," M. Melkonian said. Besides, he noted, before the presidential election the Azeri authorities launched a wide anti-Armenian militarist agitation for populist purposes, which resulted in the Azeri society having a conflict, which "took hostage" the authorities themselves, as they frequently had to make actions contrary to state interests. In the words of the Armenian defense ministry representative, the official Baku latest step was just of the kind. It is also contrary to the spirit of "Partnership for Peace" NATO program and simultaneously undermines the organization authority.