Azerbaijan recognized as a credible NATO partner

Azerbaijan was represented at the talks by a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. The delegation included Deputy National Security Minister and Deputy Emergency Situations Minister, Chief of State Border Service, heads of departments of the Interior Ministry and Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.

During the visit, Mammadyarov met with the NATO Deputy Secretary General Claudio Bisogniero, and attended NATO meeting in 28 +1 format.

Mammadyarov in his speech touched on NATO's new strategic concept, issues of partnership between Azerbaijan and NATO, implementation of Individual Partnership Action Plan (İPAP), as well as the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The meeting focused on Azerbaijan-NATO relations, issues of extending the İPAP program for the third term, reforming security sector in Azerbaijan, regional security issues, etc. The foundation for cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was laid through signing a program-document within the framework of the Partnership for Peace May 4 1994. Azerbaijan was one of the 27 OSCE member countries to join the program.

In April 1996, an official document envisaging concrete directions in the cooperation was signed within the framework of the Partnership for Peace. Now, Azerbaijan is fulfilling about 50 tasks in conformity with the program.

August 3, 2005, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed the Decree on "Approval of the Action Plan on Individual Partnership between the Azerbaijani Republic and NATO". Now the cooperation is carried out within the second phase of the Individual Partnership Action Plan between Azerbaijan and NATO, which covers 2008-2010.

The NATO press service reported that the allies noted with appreciation the broad range of cooperation developed in the context of the Individual Partnership Action Plan and Azerbaijan's contribution  to the discussions on NATO's new Strategic Concept, to be adopted at the upcoming Lisbon Summit.

They thanked Azerbaijan for the support for NATO's mission in Afghanistan with troops, overflight rights and civilian reconstruction. Development of preparedness of the armed forces to cooperate with the forces of NATO countries in peacekeeping operations and crisis response is another important goal of cooperation while supporting reforms.

Since 1999, the Azerbaijani troops has provided support for the NATO peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, and since 2002 - in Afghanistan.


/Trend/