U.S. SPOKESPERSON UNAWARE OF ALLEGED ISRAELI ACCESS TO AZERBAIJAN AIRFIELD
PanARMENIAN.Net
April 3, 2012 – 11:11 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Victoria Nuland, spokesperson of U.S. Department
of State said at April 2 press briefing they “have no information
to indicate that reports on alleged Israeli access to airbases in
Azerbaijan have any basis in fact.”
“I’m going to send you to the Azerbaijanis for whatever they may
be talking to the Israelis about. We don’t have any information to
indicate anything new on this front,” Nuland told the journalist
who asked her to comment on claims of Israeli access in Azerbaijan
airfield.
On March 28, foreignpolicy.com issued an article, which, in particular,
said: “Four U.S. senior diplomats and military intelligence officers
say that the United States has concluded that Israel has recently
been granted access to airbases on Iran’s northern border. To do what,
exactly, is not clear. “The Israelis have bought an airfield, and the
airfield is called Azerbaijan,” a senior administration official said
in early February.
Senior U.S. intelligence officials are increasingly concerned that
Israel’s military expansion into Azerbaijan complicates U.S. efforts
to dampen Israeli-Iranian tensions, according to the sources.”
“The Israeli embassy in Washington, the Israel Defense Forces,
and the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, were all
contacted for comment on this story but did not respond. The Azeri
embassy to the United States also did not respond to requests for
information regarding Azerbaijan’s security agreements with Israel,”
the article says.
Following the publication of this article, an Azeri spokesman denied
that his government had granted Israel access to Azeri airbases.
“This information is absurd and groundless,” AFP quoted Azerbaijan’s
defense ministry spokesman Teymur Abdullayev as saying.
A senior official at Azerbaijan’s presidential administration said
such speculation was “aimed at damaging relations between Azerbaijan
and Iran”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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