Ilham Aliyev opposed to NATO in Azerbaijan

“Simultaneous military training in Azerbaijan and Upper Garabagh further aggravate the already precarious situation”, first vice-president of SOCAR, MP Ilham Aliyev said Friday.

Asked to explain why his personal opinion on the issue of stationing of NATO troops in Azerbaijan differs from that of the Defense Minister {who has repeatedly supported the idea}, I. Aliyev said it was only his own opinion.

He reiterated that in his view stationing of the NATO bases in the Azeri soil would not guarantee security to Azerbaijan, because any military bases would pursue their own objectives. It is, therefore, naive to think that NATO would protect Azerbaijan from Armenia, he said.