Azerbaijan to join ISAF meeting

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has been invited to a meeting of foreign ministers at the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which will be held in Brussels on April 19, a source in NATO told Trend on Thursday.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is a NATO-led international military contingent operating in Afghanistan since 2001.The session will discuss the prospects for implementing ISAF programmes.

On 18-19 April a meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of NATO countries will be held at NATO headquarters.

NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating in the field of democratic, institutional and military reform, as well as conduct practical cooperation in many areas. The programme of cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO is set out in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan seeks to achieve the Euro-Atlantic norms and standards and come closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions. In this regard, support for security sector reform and creation of the institution of democracy are the key elements of cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan.

In addition to reforms, another important area of cooperation is support to Azerbaijan in the conduct of NATO-led operations. Currently, Azerbaijan sent peacekeepers to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. In the past, the country has also actively supported operations in Kosovo.


/Trend/