Tweet
YEREVAN 'COMMITTED' TO KEY ARMS CONTROL TREATY
Emil Danielyan
Armenialiberty.org
Oct 18 2011
Armenia will continue to abide by a key international arms control
treaty despite its violation by Azerbaijan, President Serzh Sarkisian
told a visiting senior U.S. official on Tuesday.
Meeting with Rose Gottemoeller, a U.S. assistant secretary of state
dealing with arms control, Sarkisian described the Conventional Forces
in Europe (CFE) treaty as "one of the pillars of security and stability
in Europe." He said Yerevan therefore remains committed to its "spirit
and aims" and will comply with limitations placed by the treaty.
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian gave similar assurances at a
separate meeting with Gottemoeller. According to a statement by the
Armenian Foreign Ministry, Nalbandian said at the same time that the
CFE needs to be "updated." The statement gave no details.
Signed in 1990 and revised in 1999, the CFE puts specific limits on
the deployment of troops and heavy weapons from the Atlantic coast
to Russia's Ural mountains. Armenia as well as neighboring Georgia
and Azerbaijan signed up to it after gaining independence.
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian meets with U.S. Assistant Secretary
of State Rose Gottemoeller, 18Oct2011.â~@~Kâ~@~KDespite setting
equal arms ceilings for the three South Caucasus states, the treaty
has has not prevented an intensifying arms race between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. The latter has spent billions of dollars in oil revenues
on a military build-up which Baku hopes will eventually enable it to
win back Nagorno-Karabakh and other Armenian-controlled territories.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have long been accusing each other of exceeding
their CFE quotas.
Sarkisian was quoted by his press office as saying that the alleged
Azerbaijani non-compliance "has already created a serious danger for
the entire region." Nalbandian likewise complained to Gottemoeller
about Azerbaijan's "overt violation" of CFE terms.
Azerbaijani officials deny such claims. They say that Armenia itself
keeps a large part of its military hardware in Karabakh in order to
imitate its compliance with the treaty.
A senior U.S. diplomat said privately earlier this year that both
warring nations are not honoring their CFE commitments.
The CFE allows signatory states to inspect each other's compliance with
the arms ceilings through random visits to just about any military
facility. However, in line with a gentlemen's agreement reached in
the 1990s the Armenian and Azerbaijani militaries have never sent
CFE inspectors to one another.
Emil Danielyan
Armenialiberty.org
Oct 18 2011
Armenia will continue to abide by a key international arms control
treaty despite its violation by Azerbaijan, President Serzh Sarkisian
told a visiting senior U.S. official on Tuesday.
Meeting with Rose Gottemoeller, a U.S. assistant secretary of state
dealing with arms control, Sarkisian described the Conventional Forces
in Europe (CFE) treaty as "one of the pillars of security and stability
in Europe." He said Yerevan therefore remains committed to its "spirit
and aims" and will comply with limitations placed by the treaty.
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian gave similar assurances at a
separate meeting with Gottemoeller. According to a statement by the
Armenian Foreign Ministry, Nalbandian said at the same time that the
CFE needs to be "updated." The statement gave no details.
Signed in 1990 and revised in 1999, the CFE puts specific limits on
the deployment of troops and heavy weapons from the Atlantic coast
to Russia's Ural mountains. Armenia as well as neighboring Georgia
and Azerbaijan signed up to it after gaining independence.
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian meets with U.S. Assistant Secretary
of State Rose Gottemoeller, 18Oct2011.â~@~Kâ~@~KDespite setting
equal arms ceilings for the three South Caucasus states, the treaty
has has not prevented an intensifying arms race between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. The latter has spent billions of dollars in oil revenues
on a military build-up which Baku hopes will eventually enable it to
win back Nagorno-Karabakh and other Armenian-controlled territories.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have long been accusing each other of exceeding
their CFE quotas.
Sarkisian was quoted by his press office as saying that the alleged
Azerbaijani non-compliance "has already created a serious danger for
the entire region." Nalbandian likewise complained to Gottemoeller
about Azerbaijan's "overt violation" of CFE terms.
Azerbaijani officials deny such claims. They say that Armenia itself
keeps a large part of its military hardware in Karabakh in order to
imitate its compliance with the treaty.
A senior U.S. diplomat said privately earlier this year that both
warring nations are not honoring their CFE commitments.
The CFE allows signatory states to inspect each other's compliance with
the arms ceilings through random visits to just about any military
facility. However, in line with a gentlemen's agreement reached in
the 1990s the Armenian and Azerbaijani militaries have never sent
CFE inspectors to one another.