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AZERBAIJAN PROBES ILLEGAL ARMS SALES BY ALBANIA TO ARMENIA
Today's Zaman, Turkey
July 31 2007
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said on Monday he
has sent letters to both the Albanian capital of Tirana and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) concerning illegal arms
sales to Armenia by Albania, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Last week it emerged that Turkey turned back an Albanian ship
transporting heavy weaponry bound for Armenia at the Bosporus.
"Officials in Ankara have refused transit to a sizable consignment of
weapons and ammunition bound for Armenia. The ship was turned back
at the Bosporus along with its cargo," Albanian Prime Minister Sali
Berisha was then quoted as saying in the Azerbaijani media. Noting
that the letter sent to Tirana was not meant to protest the Albanian
officials, Mamedyarov said Baku asked Tirana for an explanation and
information on the issue.
The Azerbaijani minister said his country has also appealed to
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ýhsanoðlu and the head of the
organization's Foreign Ministers' Council, Pakistan's Foreign Minister
Khurshid Kasuri, concerning the same issue as Albania and Azerbaijan
are both members of the organization. In the letters Baku stressed
that arms sales to Armenia were in violation of the UN's related
resolutions and brought to mind the fact that a territory inside
Azerbaijan has still been under Armenian occupation, referring to
the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"As you know, over 800,000 Azerbaijanis became refugees as a result of
Armenian aggression and ethnic cleansing. According to OIC resolutions,
in order to prevent Armenia from continuing aggression and enlarging
the conflict, the organization member states should not sell military
supplies and weapons to Armenia and should not allow their countries
to be used as transit countries. This fact contradicts norms and
principles of international law. Baku is against war and regards
selling military supplies and weapons to Armenia as an act against
Azerbaijan," the letter was quoted as saying by the Azerbaijani media.
--Boundary_(ID_o6ILktThuCspoFS7+vls9Q)--
Today's Zaman, Turkey
July 31 2007
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said on Monday he
has sent letters to both the Albanian capital of Tirana and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) concerning illegal arms
sales to Armenia by Albania, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Last week it emerged that Turkey turned back an Albanian ship
transporting heavy weaponry bound for Armenia at the Bosporus.
"Officials in Ankara have refused transit to a sizable consignment of
weapons and ammunition bound for Armenia. The ship was turned back
at the Bosporus along with its cargo," Albanian Prime Minister Sali
Berisha was then quoted as saying in the Azerbaijani media. Noting
that the letter sent to Tirana was not meant to protest the Albanian
officials, Mamedyarov said Baku asked Tirana for an explanation and
information on the issue.
The Azerbaijani minister said his country has also appealed to
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ýhsanoðlu and the head of the
organization's Foreign Ministers' Council, Pakistan's Foreign Minister
Khurshid Kasuri, concerning the same issue as Albania and Azerbaijan
are both members of the organization. In the letters Baku stressed
that arms sales to Armenia were in violation of the UN's related
resolutions and brought to mind the fact that a territory inside
Azerbaijan has still been under Armenian occupation, referring to
the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"As you know, over 800,000 Azerbaijanis became refugees as a result of
Armenian aggression and ethnic cleansing. According to OIC resolutions,
in order to prevent Armenia from continuing aggression and enlarging
the conflict, the organization member states should not sell military
supplies and weapons to Armenia and should not allow their countries
to be used as transit countries. This fact contradicts norms and
principles of international law. Baku is against war and regards
selling military supplies and weapons to Armenia as an act against
Azerbaijan," the letter was quoted as saying by the Azerbaijani media.
--Boundary_(ID_o6ILktThuCspoFS7+vls9Q)--