NATO TO REVIEW HOST COUNTRY FOR COOPERATIVE BEST EFFORT-2004 EXERCISE PLANNED IN AZERBAIJAN

NATO leadership is reconsidering the host country for conducting Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercise planned this fall in Azerbaijan within NATO Partnership for Peace program, a competent authority informed Regnum agency in Brussels. According to the source, it is connected this yesterday’s accident in Budapest, where an Azeri officer cruelly killed his Armenian fellow, and also with the fact that Azerbaijani authorities hindered the participation of Armenian servicemen in planning conference on forthcoming maneuvers. To note, yesterday Armenia’s Ambassador to the Benelux and NATO Vigen Chitechian presented the corresponding appeal of the RA MFA to NATO leadership. Today the RA Ambassador is expected to meet with the high rank officials of the North Atlantic Alliance and probably with Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the Secretary General of the organization.