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  • Armenia Outran Azerbaijan?

    ARMENIA OUTRAN AZERBAIJAN?
    by R. Orudzhev
    Translated by Pavel Pushkin

    Source: Echo (Baku), February 10, 2007, p. EV
    Agency WPS
    DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
    February 14, 2007 Wednesday

    Observers in Azerbaijan have differing opinions about adoption of
    the national security strategy by Yerevan

    AZERBAIJANI EXPERTS COMMENT ON ADOPTION OF A NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY
    BY ARMENIA; This week, President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, signed a
    decree approving the national security council of Armenia. The Armenian
    parliament has already passed the document and henceforth it can be
    considered in effect. This is sad but true, in the sense that Armenia
    has managed to beat Azerbaijan in a document vital for the defense of
    the state. Just a few years ago, the Azerbaijani President instructed
    a number of agencies to organize a joint commission and to develop
    a national security concept and a military doctrine of Azerbaijan.

    This week, President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, signed a decree
    approving the national security council of Armenia. The Armenian
    parliament has already passed the document and henceforth it can be
    considered in effect.

    This is sad but true, in the sense that Armenia has managed to beat
    Azerbaijan in a document vital for the defense of the state. Just
    a few years ago, the Azerbaijani President instructed a number of
    agencies to organize a joint commission and to develop a national
    security concept and a military doctrine of Azerbaijan

    In his comments, Zakhid Orudzh, member of the permanent parliamentary
    defense and national security commission, said first of all that
    "Azerbaijan has the law "On national security." It describes many
    provisions related to strategy and it is possible to say that this
    is a counterpart of a national security concept. I can also say that
    in some countries this basic document is called on the parliamentary
    level a "concept" or "strategy" and in some countries it receives
    the form of a legislative act. When this document is called a law it
    does not look as impressive as, for example, strategy. In reality,
    the efforts dedicated by specialists of the Azerbaijani state power
    bodies of creation of the law "On national security" enable us to
    say that, according to its importance, this document is mofd than a
    "concept" passed by Armenia or any other country. We enacted our law
    back in 2004. I know that Russia is currently renovating its relevant
    documents and calls it a "concept," too. It is possible to say that
    Armenia has taken this activeness of the Russian party as an example
    and has decided to announce the creation of its own "strategy" on
    the basis of this development."

    According to the expert, this circumstance is directly connected
    with Russian troops stationed in Armenia and that all armament and
    technologies used in the Armenian army have a Russian origin. Orudzh
    adds, "At any rate, I do not think that our position in the region
    or in the world has been somehow shaken due to the appearance of a
    "strategy" in Armenia. Moreover, it does not influence the real
    state of affairs with regard to a possibility of providing national
    security in Armenia and Azerbaijan. I think it is impossible to draw
    such conclusions on the basis of any documents. Along with this,
    it is clear that we should work on new projects in the development
    of documents dealing with national security. National security is
    simply a specific area where novelties of various kinds can appear
    almost daily. For example, the US makes serious amendments to its
    military doctrine and national security concept almost monthly."

    Along with this, Orudzh says that, of course, Americans leave the
    basic provisions of these documents untouched. He adds, "I believe
    that Azerbaijan should follow the example of America and should
    renovate its national security strategy. We also need to adopt a
    military doctrine of our own. Moreover, at various meetings related
    to cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani officials
    announced frequently and openly that work on our national concept
    and doctrine was already accomplished. That is why we need to
    coordinate separate provisions of the developed documents with a
    number of agencies as soon as possible in the political, diplomatic
    and economic sense and to propose them for consideration to parliament.

    In general, I think that by its actions, Armenia has not outrun
    Azerbaijan in security provisions and from the standpoint of the
    capabilities our country remains far ahead."

    Independent military expert Uzeir Dzhafarov says that "as in many
    other aspects, we lag behind in the adoption of a national security
    concept and a military doctrine. Back in 2003, when I served for a
    military research center in the Defense Ministry, the doctrine was
    being prepared. Four years have passed since then. Recently, Ziyafet
    Askerov, chair of the parliamentary defense and national security
    commission, announced that Azerbaijan would adopt its doctrine in
    2008. This is no good! The will of the authorities should be manifested
    at this point but I do not see such a wish yet."
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