US CONGRESSMEN CALLED NATO TO CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE HOST COUNTRY TO AZERBAIJAN FOR COOPERATIVE BEST EFFORT-2004

PanARMENIAN.Net - Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairs Reps. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) called on NATO to investigate and rectify Azerbaijan's hindrance of Armenia's participation in a key NATO military conference in Baku. To note, the exercises are to be held in Azerbaijan this September within the frames of "Partnership for Peace" program. According to a report by the Armenian Assembly of America, in a letter addressed to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and General James L. Jones and issued yesterday, the Congressmen ask that NATO consider an alternate host country if Azerbaijan intends to block Armenia's future participation in meetings for the 2004 "Cooperative Best Effort (CBE)" exercises. "We concur with the comment of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, that Azerbaijan's actions, contradict the spirit, letter and logic of the Partnership program and question the very fulfillment of its goals to enlarge cooperation and dialogue between the peoples of the Euro-Atlantic region and specifically, the South Caucasus region", the letter says. Moreover, they stress, the question arouses whether Azerbaijan, an aspirant to NATO, will work towards strengthening regional cooperation between the Organization and Partner countries. Let us remind that January 13, Azerbaijani officials blocked the Armenian delegation from traveling to Baku to participate in NATO's conference on planning Cooperative Best Effort-2004. NATO's leadership has not reacted to the negative behavior of the Azerbaijani authorities so far.