July 28, 2004 - 18:57 AMT
ELMAR MAMEDYAROV: ISSUE OF US MILITARY AID TO ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN PURELY POLITICAL
The issue of rendering the US military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan if purely political, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov told Zerkalo Baku newspaper. To remind, despite the US Administration called for $8 million to Azerbaijan and $2 million to Armenia, the US House of Representatives voted for parity in the assistance amounting in $5 million to each country. In Mamedyarov's words, taking into account that Azerbaijan being US coalition partner sends its troops to Iraq while Armenia does nothing, equalization means a political evaluation of the issue only. Azerbaijani FM noted that in the course of the meetings with the US political leadership during his recent visit to Washington he expressed his dissatisfaction in this view. During the discussions we stated that the White House should insist on restoring the primary proportions of the aid, he said.