BAKU: Azeri defence chief not to attend Armenia-hosted CIS talks

Azeri defence chief not to attend Armenia-hosted CIS talks

Ekho, Baku
4 May 04

Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev will not attend the 21 May
2004 gathering of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) defence
ministers in Yerevan, Azerbaijan’s daily Ekho quoted the press
secretary of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, Ramiz Malikov, as
saying on 4 May.

“Azerbaijan does not knock on the door of its enemy,” Malikov said.
“It is Armenians who are shamelessly keen on visiting Baku”. Malikov
said that this will be a regular meeting and Azerbaijan will lose
“absolutely nothing” from not attending it.

Military expert Uzeyir Cafarov told Ekho that had the gathering been
held in any other country of the CIS, then Abiyev would have
definitely taken part in it.