Doc. 11163
25 January 2007

Grave violation of the principles of the Treaty on Conventional Forces of Europe by Armenia

Written question No 518 to the Committee of Ministers
presented by Mrs Pashayeva

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in accordance with the Tashkent Agreement on the principles and procedures of the CFE (Conventional Forces of Europe) Treaty Implementation (15 May 1992), ceilings for arms and combat equipment presence between republics of the former Soviet Union, including between three Tran Caucasian republics, have been redistributed. Such basic parameters as size of population, the size of territory and military-political position throughout the region have not been taken into account in this Agreement. Despite a near threefold difference in the size of population and territory, Azerbaijan and Armenia have received identical ceilings for arms and combat equipment. While the population of Armenia is about 3 million and the population of Azerbaijan is about 8 million, armed forces personnel for Armenia has been limited to 60 thousand, and armed forces for Azerbaijan to 70 thousand. However, according to world practice, the number of armed forces personnel usually makes up 1% of the population to provide national security.

The primary goal of the armed forces of any country is to secure territorial integrity. Can a country with a territory three times the size of the other state provide security with the same quantity of arms and combat equipment? Thus, from the very beginning, a precondition for serious military imbalance in the region has been laid down; as a result it has led to the occupation of a part of Azerbaijani territory by Armenian armed forces. Moreover, from 1993-1996 the Russian Federation carried out illegal deliveries of arms and combat equipment with a total cost of over 1 billion US dollars to Armenia. In any event, this process proceeds to this day. All of the arms and combat equipment have been transferred to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. It occurred after Armenia had signed the CFE Treaty and the CBMs (confidence and security building measures) Vienna document within the OSCE framework. According to these documents each of the participating countries should strictly follow obligations to limit its own armed forces and provide a transparency of the military information.

Within the above-mentioned documents annual military information is given to the OSCE. However, military information provided by Armenia does not reflect the real condition of this issue. While Armenia has limits on combat tanks in 220 units, only in the occupied territories the number of tanks makes up more than 400 units. Additionally, in accordance with military information officially distributed in Armenia, it has 110 tanks on its territory. As for AFVs (armoured fighting vehicules), its limit makes up 220 units, whereas in the occupied territories this number also exceeds 400 units. However, according to the military information officially distributed by Armenia, it has 140 AFVs in its territory. As for artillery systems, its limits make up 285 pieces, whereas in the occupied territories this number also exceeds 500 pieces. However, according to the military information officially distributed by Armenia, it has 229 pieces in its territory.

As for personnel, limit makes up 60 000 men, whereas in the occupied territories this number exceeds 40 000 men. Nevertheless, according to the military information officially distributed by Armenia, it has 44 000 military personnel in its territory.

Hence, Armenia exceeds the authorised ceilings of arms and combat equipment limited by the CFE Treaty in three or more times.

Occupation of a part of Azerbaijani territory by Armenia accompanied with non-authorised intrusion, support and sponsoring of military actions have led to the infringement of the whole set of obligations under all international agreements. Armenia has changed the occupied Azerbaijani territories into a relay point to transfer the weapons to terrorist organisations and regimes supporting terrorism, as well as creating conditions for the operation of international terrorist organisations’ insurgent training camps and from here narcotics and WMD (weapons of mass destruction) components are distributed to other regions of the world.

Concentration of a huge number of combat equipment and ammunition in the territory of Armenia and in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan creates conditions for grows of risks and preservaiton of the explosive situation throught the South Caucasus region.

Arms control inspection regime does not function in the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia; in its turn it creates “grey zones” throughout the region. Armenia conceals the military arsenal in the occupied territories and violates the basic principles of the international agreements under Arms Control, and thereby, undermines both regional and European security.

      Considering all of these, Ganira Pashayeva asks the Committee of Ministers:

- What liberations can the Committee of Ministers conduct in order to give proper political and legal assessment to Armenia’s actions?

- What steps can the Committee of Ministers take in the direction of holding monitoring in the occupied Azerbaijani territories with a view to investigate the concentration of combat equipment and ammunition by Armenia in that area?

- Why does the Committee of Ministers not apply its mechanisms of influence on Armenia which violates the principles of the Council of Europe, keeps the 20 percent of the territories of Azerbaijan (CoE member State) under occupation, ignores Resolution 1416 (2003) of the PACE, which implies the withdrawal of armed forces of Armenia from the occupied Azerbaijani territories?

Signed ¹:

PASHAYEVA, Ganira, Azerbaijan, EDG

¹     SOC: Socialist Group
      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
      EDG: European Democratic Group
      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
      NR: not registered in a group