S3 slide 1 NATO Access Conflict in the Caucasus Spring 2000

S3 slide 2 NATO Access War threatens between Armenia and Azerbaijan –In late 1999 fighting began between Armenian and Azerbaijani militias around and in Nagorno Karabakh »The militias then received heavy weapons from their respective national armies –Fighting escalated to a high intensity –Armenia and Azerbaijan have declared military mobilization Russian and Iranian military units are assembling along their respective borders

S3 slide 3 NATO Access — cont’d There is widespread civil disorder –Many thousand refugees have fled from the fighting The Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe sponsored a peace conference earlier this month –The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the leader of Nagorno Karabakh attended

S3 slide 4 NATO Access — cont’d At the conference, U.S. and European diplomats presented this plan –An immediate cease-fire –Creation of a 20km demilitarized border zone –Deployment of an NATO peacekeeping force to disarm the militias Russia immediately denounced the plan –It announced its opposition to any NATO presence in this area –Russia offered its forces as an alternative

S3 slide 5 NATO Access — cont’d The NATO military staff is developing its operational plan –Due to historical sensitivities, NATO has decided not to use bases in Turkey –Bulgarian liaison officers advise that NATO may request Bulgarian assistance »Specifically, NATO is interested in overflight rights and use of airbases for staging and to operate a squadron of tankers »Should NATO ground forces come under attack, NATO would like permission to use Bulgarian airbases for combat operations