Armenian parliament members to participate in NATO seminar in Baku

11.10.2004 15:12:00 GMT

Yerevan. (Interfax) – A group of Armenian parliament members intends
to participate in a seminar to be held by the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly in Baku in late November, a source in the Armenian parliament
told Interfax.

“A preliminary agreement about our participation in the seminar has
already been reached and, in all likelihood, will remain in force,”
the source said.

At the same time, Mger Shakhgeldian, head of the parliamentary
commission for defense, law enforcement and national security,
told Interfax: “It’s too early to speak about an ultimate decision
concerning our participation in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s
Baku session.”

“There is, of course, the problem of ensuring the Armenian deputies’
safety in Baku, but we have reasons to hope for an adequate solution
in line with Armenia’s foreign policy,” he said, adding that the
seminar’s agenda needed to be finalized.

Armenia’s foreign policy stipulates that Armenian representatives
participate in all NATO events conducted in the South Caucasus.

The possible arrival of Armenian parliament members in Baku to
attend the session has triggered protests among Azerbaijani public
organizations. Earlier similar public protests led to the cancellation
of NATO military exercises in Baku, in which Armenian servicemen were
initially due to take part.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a state of conflict over the disputed
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan lost control over the enclave
after a bloody war with Armenia in the 1990s.
From: Baghdasarian