Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

NATO chief hopes officer's killing not to threaten coop with Armenia

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • NATO chief hopes officer's killing not to threaten coop with Armenia

    NATO chief hopes officer's killing not to threaten cooperation with Armenia

    Mediamax news agency
    10 Mar 04

    YEREVAN

    NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has sent a letter to
    Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan in connection with the
    killing of Armenian Lt Gurgen Markaryan by an Azerbaijani serviceman
    in Budapest on 19 February.

    The press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry quotes the NATO
    secretary-general as saying in the letter that he was "deeply shocked
    by the brutal killing of the Armenian officer" and asked to pass his
    sympathy to his family, Mediamax reports.

    "As you know, relevant Hungarian agencies are conducting a detailed
    investigation into the incident and I am convinced that they will do
    their best to find out all the circumstances of the killing and to
    make sure that justice is administered. I myself will follow the
    course of the investigation and the subsequent trial," Jaap de Hoop
    Scheffer said.

    The NATO secretary-general expressed the hope that this crime would
    not pose a threat to the development of cooperation between Armenia
    and the alliance and said that NATO appreciated Armenia's contribution
    to the Partnership for Peace programme. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer added
    that the further expansion of regional cooperation in the South
    Caucasus is one of the key components of the programme.

    On 23 February, the Armenian ambassador to NATO, Vigen Chitechyan,
    forwarded Vardan Oskanyan's letter to Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. The
    Armenian foreign minister says in the letter that the Azerbaijani
    officer's action "was somewhat expected because it was a logical
    consequence of bellicose statements by the previous and new
    Azerbaijani authorities".

    [Passage omitted: Known details of the Budapest incident]
Working...
X