We shall remind that Azerbaijan boycotted the last trainings of the “Cooperative Best Effort” because they were held in Armenia. (We shall note that among other 18 countries Turkey also was participating in the trainings. Moreover, military leader of Turkey Ahmed Kabak was nominated co-commander of the maneuvers). In Yerevan they thought it silly to make an analogical demarche against Azerbaijan. The political and military leadership of Armenia was declaring from the beginning that it was ready to accept the invitation despite the fact that the maneuvers were going to be held in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, the official Baku was undertaking attempts to impede the participation of Armenia in the upcoming trainings. Even representatives of the highest authorities of the country were making such statements. Naturally, it caused only the indignation of the NATO leadership. “None of the NATO partner-countries has the right to impede the participation of another partner in the maneuvers of the “Cooperative Best Effort,” the Director of the Centre on coordination of the partnership within the frames of the NATO program, Turkish Major-General Riwki Dyurusoy said recently. The Azeris gave up the efforts to impede the arrival of Armenians only after they were informed that if they were not going to accept Armenians, the maneuvers would be organized in another country. On behalf of the military authorities of the country, Deputy Minister of Defense Arthur Aghabekyan made it understand that in case if Azerbaijan continues its efforts, Armenia would insist on changing the country where the maneuvers would be held. Evidently it had an effect because by the end of summer the official propaganda of Azerbaijan started to prepare the public opinion that the participation of Armenians would be inevitable. Head of the press service of the Defense Minister of Azerbaijan Ramiz Melikov said that the participation of Armenia in the “Cooperative Best Effort” maneuvers could be permitted as the trainings were being held “within the aegis of NATO”. His Deputy Ilgar Berdiyev told the journalists: “We do not have the right to intervene in the activity of the NATO leadership and influence the decision making process”.
The invitation to visit Baku addressed to the Armenians was not unexpected for the Azeris. But it should be noted that the invitation was delivered to the Armenian Minister only in the beginning of December while all the other participants received the official letters from Brussels in early autumn. However, it is evident that the Azeris will have to host those whom they lost the war only nine years ago.
