The General said this was guaranteed by President Aliyev personally. In Baku, however, the ”Organization of Karabakh liberation” radical group declared it would not allow the Armenian officers to enter the territory of Azerbaijan. The guarantees of Ilham Aliyev became the result of the attempts of the U.S. Ambassador to Baku Rino Harnish and Permanent representative of the Washington administration in NATO Nikolas Berns. In Baku they understood that Brussels might change the place of the upcoming trainings. Recent statements of the head of the Defense Ministry’s press service Ramiz Melikov prove it: ”If Armenians want they can participate in the maneuvers,” the Azeri colonel said.
However, there is another viewpoint in the military circles of Azerbaijan. Military expert, Colonel Uzeir Jafarov said that the Azerbaijani government does not have to promise anything to anybody. ”It has to be taken into account that we are in a situation of war with Armenia,” Jafarov says. But the harshest statements belong to Akif Nagi, leader of the radical group ”Organization of Karabakh Liberation”. He hints that he will organize terrorist acts in the airport if the Armenians arrive in Baku.
No doubts that Nagi’s behavior is approved by the authorities. According to the available information, Aliyev has agreed with participation of Armenians only in case if Yerevan sends one or two officers. So, it is evident that the Azerbaijani authorities want to deprive Armenians of the real possibilities of cooperation with the NATO partners. In this situation, participation of Armenia in a farce to be used by the Azeris for propaganda goals seems extremely doubtful.
