15 November 2008
BBC Monitoring Service, Ayna daily

Official Baku is unhappy about the latest move of the Georgian Defence Ministry to sign an agreement with the Armenian Defence Ministry, Ayna newspaper has learnt. According to reports, the Tbilisi-based tank repairs plant will repair Armenian military hardware, the report said, adding that official Baku is to inquire the Tbilisi government to comment on the deal, the article quoted sources at the Foreign Ministry as saying. An agreement was also obtained between the sides to use Georgian territory as transit for cargo deliveries as well as military shipment, the piece said. In an interview with the paper, a Baku-based Georgian diplomat also added that Armenia-bound cargoes have been transferred through Georgia since 1994. The following is an excerpt from Casur Sumarinli report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ayna on 15 November headlined "Baku will demand an explanation from Tbilisi for `scandalous agreement'" and subheaded "The Tbilisi agreement between the Armenian and Georgian defence ministers runs against security interests of Azerbaijan"; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry may ask official Tbilisi to comment on an agreement reached at a meeting between the Armenian and Georgian defence ministers in Tbilisi, Ayna has learnt from a source at the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. As of now, such a document is being drafted and the public will soon be informed to this end, the source said. On 12 November, Georgian Defence Minister Davit Kezerashvili had a meeting with Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan in Tbilisi. At a briefing for the media at the end of the meeting, Davit Kezerashvili said that cooperation in the defence sphere between Georgia and Armenia had deepened. [Passage omitted: Reference to the Tbilisi meeting between the Georgian and Armenian defence bosses]

Official Baku to ask Tbilisi three questions

Official Baku has three questions to ask in connection with the meeting between the Georgian and Armenian defence ministers, Ayna has learnt.

- What is behind the agreement enabling Armenia to use the Georgian territory as transit and what does this agreement serve against the backdrop of the strategic alliance between Tbilisi and Baku?

- To what extent are reports true that armoured hardware in the arsenal of the Armenian armed forces would be repaired and upgraded at the Tbilisi tank repairs plant?

- How reliable is a statement by the Armenian defence minister that not a second military base is being built in his country? What were Ohanyan's arguments?

A correspondent of Ayna failed to elaborate this report with Xazar Ibrahim, the spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. X. Ibrahim said he was unaware of details of the meeting between Kezerashvili and Ohanyan.

Actually, from time to time, there were reports that military armoured hardware of Armenia and the Karabakh separatists was repaired at the Tbilisi tank plant. And exactly such facts chilled to a certain extent the relations between Baku and Tbilisi in early 2000.

The plant was transferred to the property of the Georgian Defence Ministry in February 2005. Prior to this, the Tbilisi-based plant was at the disposal of the Russian troops in the South Caucasus. In 2004-2005, Georgia and the command of the groups of troops in question proposed their services for repairs of Azerbaijani armoured hardware. However, at that time, Baku turned down the proposal due to services of the plant to hostile Yerevan.

According to reports, the issue in question was discussed by military experts of the two countries in 2006-2007, and as a result, Baku and Tbilisi managed to find a common language. Baku said it does not want the plant to repair Armenian tanks, in its turn, official Tbilisi said it was ready to refuse from repairing Armenian tanks under certain conditions. However, it was not made public what those conditions were. The issue was also discussed at a meeting between Kezerashvili and his Azerbaijani counterpart Safar Abiyev in July 2007 in Baku. However, later it was said that Baku turned down Tbilisi's proposal at all. Reports coming in at that time said that Azerbaijan rely on its military industrial complex in this issue.

Georgian-Armenian military ties run against Azerbaijan

We should say that the Tbilisi tank repair plant has been upgraded with the support of NATO. Exactly, this aspect drew the attention of the Armenian general. Official Yerevan considers that the repair of armoured hardware in the arsenal of the Armenian army in Tbilisi are very advantageous for the Armenian side in terms of finance and time limit. In its turn, Georgia does not want to lose a customer like Armenia, obviously, though this is against Azerbaijan's security interests and the existing strategic allied relations between the two countries.

In an interview with a correspondent of Ayna, the military expert, retired Lt-Col Uzeyir Cafarov, has described the agreement achieved in Tbilisi as "more advantageous for Armenia". The expert believes that from now on, the Armenian side will try to benefit from the military agreement with Georgia.

The expert believes that the repair of armoured hardware in the arsenal of the Armenian army at the Tbilisi tank repair plant is obvious: "If not for 100 per cent, then a considerable amount of the Armenian tanks will be repaired in Tbilisi. However, no doubt that Russia would try to have own benefit from this deal and not let a customer like Armenia to go."

As for an agreement to use the Georgian territory as a transit, Cafarov said that actually, this should be treated as normal from the point of view of relations between the two countries but Azerbaijan should also know who her friends are.

Russia, Armenia exert pressure on Georgia, expert

"Sometimes, we should remind Georgia what and who it depends on some issues. If Azerbaijan supplies this country with oil and gas, then Tbilisi has to weigh up its steps it took or would take with regard to Yerevan. However, obviously, official Tbilisi has chosen another way. I have difficulties in understanding the latest steps of the Georgian authorities," said Cafarov. He believes there is an acute need for Baku to have serious discussions with Georgia on the issue in question.

Another expert, whom Ayna asked for his opinion, said that the reason behind Armenia's intention to use Georgian territory as transit is obvious. It is an open secret that Ohanyan wants to hand weapons and military hardware, to be procured from Russia, over to the arsenal of the Armenian army via Georgia. And it is beyond doubt that a considerable part of the procured weapons and military hardware will be given to the Armenian troops stationed in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

We should say that several Georgian political experts have already said that the agreement between Tbilisi and Yerevan will irritate Azerbaijan. For instance, political expert Malkhaz Matsaberidze said that the achievement of the agreement on "weapons transit" is the result of the Russian and Armenian pressures on Georgia. "Otherwise, there might emerge extra problems in a number of regions of Georgia. Deadlocked, Georgia has no other way out," Malkhaz Matsaberidze said, adding that this agreement would irritate Azerbaijan. However, he hopes that official Tbilisi would manage to persuade official Baku that there was no other way out.

In an interview with Zerkalo, Georgian deputy ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolo Gogitidze touched upon points of interests. He said that Armenia-bound cargoes have been carried through Georgian territory since 1994.

As for military cargoes, the diplomat said that if Armenia purchases tanks from Ukraine, then these cargoes are delivered to the Georgian port of Poti and are sent further to this country by train. "There are no other routes. The borders between Turkey and Armenia are closed," the deputy ambassador said, adding that no weapons can be transferred to Armenia from Russia through Georgia.

"Russia is an occupying country and is now occupying Georgian lands. I would relinquish my diplomatic credentials if this was otherwise. This is my position as a citizen and a diplomat," he said.

The Georgian diplomat pledged to further comment on the issue after consulting his country's Foreign Ministry. As it seems, obviously, the issue is more complicated. The Georgian diplomat to Azerbaijan has openly stated that Armenia's weapons and military hardware procured from Ukraine are delivered to Armenia through his [Georgian] territory.

In its turn, Ukraine and Azerbaijan are strategic allies in the GUAM [regional alliance of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia]. Baku and Kiev have comprehensive economic, political and military relations and the two countries have always supported each other at international organizations, especially, on the issue of "frozen conflicts".

Given this, how can we understand that the two member countries of the GUAM Ukraine and Georgia help Armenia in its efforts to arm its army? For sure, this should be one of the important questions for official Baku...[ellipses as published]