Russian Arms Found in Karabakh
// Azerbaijan accuses Russia of supporting insurgents
Azerbaijan has joined Georgia in accusations against Russia for supplying arms to breakaway republics. Baku says that part of Russia’s military property which was transported from Georgia to Armenia ended up in Nagorno Karabakh. Moscow shrugged off the allegations on Tuesday. Azerbaijan’s first deputy prime minister, meanwhile, announced plans to enter the NATO.
Another anti-Russian front has opened in the South Caucasus. Traditionally hostile Georgia was joined by Azerbaijani authorities who launched an attack on Russia. The country’s defense ministry accused Moscow on Monday of militarizing the restive region of Nagorno Karabakh. The Azeri military said that withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia to Armenia creates tensions in the region and added that they have information that some of the military property was taken to Nagorno Karabakh. “A large part of Russian military hardware was taken from Batumi to Russia, while a considerable part was sent to the 102nd military base in Gyumri,” Azeri defense ministry press officer Eldar Sabiroglu told Kommersant. “Another portion of the hardware was sent to Armenia’s armed forces which quickly used it to bolster troops in Nagorno Karabakh.
Mr. Sabiroglu said that Russia’s actions push the situation where Azerbaijan and Armenia are virtually at war close to hostilities and hampers the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue. “Azerbaijan prefers a peaceful solution, but this can’t last forever,” he said. “If Russia does not stop its double standards policy and takes no effort to solve the problem under international legal norms, the settlement will drag on. If this continues, Azerbaijan will find other ways to free the occupied land.”
The hawkish statements of the Azeri military caused uproar in Yerevan and Moscow alike. Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Karapetyan called the allegations “an intentional lie”. “There never was any transfer of armaments, which our defense ministry also confirms,” Mr. Karapetyan told Kommersant. “I would not like to specify where Russian armaments are because this is Moscow’s business, but I rule out that they might be in Karabakh.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry issued a similar denial. “Such unfounded assertions are not based on any facts,” Defense Ministry presser Col. Vyacheslav Sedov said. “I regret that the Azeri military spread these conjectures. All military hardware and armaments which were transported from Georgia to Armenia are placed at the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri. There can be no talk about deploying these armaments in other regions including those bordering on Karabakh.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry was surprised by Baku’s violent attack. “I can assure that everything we transport to Gyumri is taken here under control of the military. It’s better to look closer into the matter before giving a detailed answer on it. I can’t understand what grounds Azerbaijan has to give such statements,” said Russian Foreign Ministry press officer Andrey Krivtsov.
While Moscow was reeling from the blow Azerbaijan continued the offensive. The country’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyubov made clear to local reporters on Tuesday who Baku views as a priority foreign policy partner. He said Azerbaijan “has been successful integrating into North Atlantic structures and strives to become NATO member.” “We intend to enter the alliance, and we’ve got a program for that – a plan for individual partnership,” Mr. Eyubov explained.
The Russian Foreign Ministry preferred not to comment the announcement although it had always been happy to comment similar statements by Georgia. But Moscow has no tools to influence Baku like it has in the conflict with Tbilisi. Oil- and gas-rich Azerbaijan does not depend on Russian fuel and sells its own natural resources to the West. Azeri oil was sent to Europe in 2006 through the new Baku-Tbilisi-Ceycan pipeline. Last week, Azeri President Ilkham Aliyev, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramantis opened the Turkey-Greece pipeline in a ceremony also attended by U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. The pipe is planned to be stretched to Italy. Mr. Aliyev has assured that the pipeline will be “guarantor of peace and stability in the region.” The only thing that threatens the stability is the pending Karabakh issue fostered by Moscow, as Baku believes.
Vladimir Solovyev, Moscow, and Rafael Mustafaev, Baku
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 21, 2007
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