Tweet
NO AID TO ISRAEL
Vestnik Kavkaza
Nov 21 2012
Russia
"Suddeutsche Zeitung", translated by Orkhan Sattarov
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has denied reports
that Azerbaijan is ready to support Israel in its attack on Iran's
nuclear facilities. In a conversation with Suddeutsche Zeitung he
justified massive arms at the disposal of his country, and called
the conflict with neighboring Armenia "one of the biggest risks to
the security of the region."
"The use of military bases in Azerbaijan by Israeli air forces is
impossible - Mammadyarov said. - All issues regarding the Iranian
nuclear program should be resolved by diplomatic means. A large
number of Azerbaijanis live in Iran, and we do not want them to
become victims of this war." The US media have reported earlier with
reference to the military establishment, that in case of an attack on
Iran, Israeli bombers could be using military airports in neighboring
Azerbaijan for refueling. Azerbaijan shares a border with Iran which
is 600 km. The former Soviet republic has good diplomatic relations
with Israel, the countries also cooperate in the military sphere.
Azerbaijan, which had an oil boom in 1998 leading to an impressive
economic growth is becoming a more and more confident regional power
in the South Caucasus. Parallel to that it is in the process of
large-scale arming. In 2011, the country has doubled its military
budget to 2.4 billion euros, which is 6.2% of country's GDP. It
spring it became known that Azerbaijan signed a military deal with
Israel worth 1.2 billion euros. While Israel considers it necessary
to arm its ally situated on the border with Iran, Azerbaijan has other
priorities. Since the war over Nagorno-Karabakh started in the 1990s,
Azerbaijan and Armenia have not been at peace. "Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia, - Mammadyarov
said. - Everywhere in these regions there have been ethnic cleansings
in its worst forms." Four resolutions of the UN Security Council
have demanded an immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from the
Azerbaijani territory. Unfortunately, Armenia has not realized these
demands to date, the minister said.
When the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev pardoned Ramil Safarov,
the murderer of an Armenian officer, the tension between the two
countries increased. The Azerbaijani army lieutenant, who participated
at a seminar in the framework of a NATO program "Partnership for Peace"
in Budapest in 2004, entered the room of an Armenian participant of
the seminar at night and killed him with an ax. After the Hungarian
justice extradited Safarov who had been convicted for life in Budapest
back to his homeland, he was welcomed in Azerbaijan, immediately
pardoned and promoted in rank. Mammadyarov has called the incident
in Budapest "regrettable," but said that it must be considered in a
broader context: "The problem lies not in Safarov, but in the occupied
territories. Given the fact that Armenian soldiers are present on
our territory and that the Azerbaijanis, who were expelled from
these areas and whose family members were brutally murdered - and
Safarov was one of those who had been expelled - it becomes clear
that such incidents are going happen." According to the minister,
the pardoning of Safarov has not been detrimental to the image of
Azerbaijan: "I would say that the case of Safarov again brought the
conflict on the international agenda. Safarov is a consequence while
the cause is the war and the expulsion of people. "
Mammadyarov has also explained that a high budget of the military is
due to the conflict with Armenia. "Yes, Azerbaijan is strengthening
its defense capability, but it would be surprising if a country with
20% of its territory occupied would not be increasing its military
budget." The fact that Azerbaijani military budget exceeds the entire
budget of Armenia is certainly putting pressure on a more unfortunate
neighbor. Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan will be happy to lower
its military budget but only if Armenia withdraws its troops from
Nagorno-Karabakh.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/33953.html
Vestnik Kavkaza
Nov 21 2012
Russia
"Suddeutsche Zeitung", translated by Orkhan Sattarov
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has denied reports
that Azerbaijan is ready to support Israel in its attack on Iran's
nuclear facilities. In a conversation with Suddeutsche Zeitung he
justified massive arms at the disposal of his country, and called
the conflict with neighboring Armenia "one of the biggest risks to
the security of the region."
"The use of military bases in Azerbaijan by Israeli air forces is
impossible - Mammadyarov said. - All issues regarding the Iranian
nuclear program should be resolved by diplomatic means. A large
number of Azerbaijanis live in Iran, and we do not want them to
become victims of this war." The US media have reported earlier with
reference to the military establishment, that in case of an attack on
Iran, Israeli bombers could be using military airports in neighboring
Azerbaijan for refueling. Azerbaijan shares a border with Iran which
is 600 km. The former Soviet republic has good diplomatic relations
with Israel, the countries also cooperate in the military sphere.
Azerbaijan, which had an oil boom in 1998 leading to an impressive
economic growth is becoming a more and more confident regional power
in the South Caucasus. Parallel to that it is in the process of
large-scale arming. In 2011, the country has doubled its military
budget to 2.4 billion euros, which is 6.2% of country's GDP. It
spring it became known that Azerbaijan signed a military deal with
Israel worth 1.2 billion euros. While Israel considers it necessary
to arm its ally situated on the border with Iran, Azerbaijan has other
priorities. Since the war over Nagorno-Karabakh started in the 1990s,
Azerbaijan and Armenia have not been at peace. "Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven other regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia, - Mammadyarov
said. - Everywhere in these regions there have been ethnic cleansings
in its worst forms." Four resolutions of the UN Security Council
have demanded an immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from the
Azerbaijani territory. Unfortunately, Armenia has not realized these
demands to date, the minister said.
When the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev pardoned Ramil Safarov,
the murderer of an Armenian officer, the tension between the two
countries increased. The Azerbaijani army lieutenant, who participated
at a seminar in the framework of a NATO program "Partnership for Peace"
in Budapest in 2004, entered the room of an Armenian participant of
the seminar at night and killed him with an ax. After the Hungarian
justice extradited Safarov who had been convicted for life in Budapest
back to his homeland, he was welcomed in Azerbaijan, immediately
pardoned and promoted in rank. Mammadyarov has called the incident
in Budapest "regrettable," but said that it must be considered in a
broader context: "The problem lies not in Safarov, but in the occupied
territories. Given the fact that Armenian soldiers are present on
our territory and that the Azerbaijanis, who were expelled from
these areas and whose family members were brutally murdered - and
Safarov was one of those who had been expelled - it becomes clear
that such incidents are going happen." According to the minister,
the pardoning of Safarov has not been detrimental to the image of
Azerbaijan: "I would say that the case of Safarov again brought the
conflict on the international agenda. Safarov is a consequence while
the cause is the war and the expulsion of people. "
Mammadyarov has also explained that a high budget of the military is
due to the conflict with Armenia. "Yes, Azerbaijan is strengthening
its defense capability, but it would be surprising if a country with
20% of its territory occupied would not be increasing its military
budget." The fact that Azerbaijani military budget exceeds the entire
budget of Armenia is certainly putting pressure on a more unfortunate
neighbor. Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan will be happy to lower
its military budget but only if Armenia withdraws its troops from
Nagorno-Karabakh.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/33953.html