‘ZERKALO’: IN PRINCIPLE, BAKU IS READY TO TURN TO NATO FOR MEMBERSHIP
Yerkir
06.03.2007 16:32
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – In principle, Azerbaijan is ready officially to turn
to Brussels for NATO membership, Azeri newspaper "Zerkalo" reports
quoting its informed diplomatic sources. "However, alongside the
source informed that official Baku does not hurry in this direction,
which has serious causes.
The matter is that after official request if during the NATO
next summit a positive decision is made, the sides must pass to
an intensive regime of dialog. This period lasts from 3 up to 5
years. The problem is that during the intensive dialog stage NATO does
not offer candidates to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization security
guarantees. And actually, this factor will create serous problems for
Azerbaijan. After all, to put it mildly, Azerbaijan is surrounded by
unfriendly countries-Russia, Armenia, Iran," "Zerkalo" writes.
That’s why, the newspaper reports, "almost for sure we can say that in
case of official request to Brussels by Baku for NATO membership Russia
and Iran will function their additional mechanisms of pressure on
Azerbaijan." " In such cases the problem of providing security to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization candidates is being settled through
bilateral agreements with NATO member states on military-political
cooperation, as a rule, with the United States. "However, in this
case with Azerbaijan US’s opportunities are limited…
The whole problem is in the so-called 907th amendment to the Liberty
Support Act, which does allow breaking the parity for military
assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan. Today the U.S. has opportunities
to provide Azerbaijan military assistance indirectly, that is to say,
through various NATO programs. First, Washington continues to hope
that it will be possible to reach some agreements during the first
half of 2007 on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. In this
case the White House will be totally free to act. But the solution
of the conflict is hardly to happen in near future.
Second, some agreements may be signed, which will allow, say,
to temporary deploy "a limited contingent of foreign troops in
Azerbaijan", first of all American, in case if "any threat occurs to
the oil pipeline and wells." But this variant too is not considered
fully trustworthy.
Third, functions of providing security guarantee to Azerbaijan can take
another NATO member-state with Washington’s consent-Turkey. The source
underlined that active negotiations are being held in this direction.
However, this variant too has its negative sides.
The source also noted Brussels is nervous not only for delay of
official request by Baku, but also with the fact that unlike Armenia
Azerbaijan even has not fulfilled the half of commitments in the
framework of Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO. But
recently, as they say, it seems things are moving, the source
underscored," "Zerkalo" reports.