NATO expert group arrives in Baku
By Nazrin Gadimova
NATO's expert group on military education arrived in Baku on November 11.
According to Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, the purpose of the visit is to provide assistance in some areas of military education to the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
At the meetings, the expert group discussed military education and personnel training with the Azerbaijani side. The visit will end on November 14.
A NATO Days summit is held annually as part of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation, with the participation of the Headquarters of the Supreme Allied Command Transformation's (SACT) expert group and will be held by the Azerbaijan's Armed Forces on November 25-29.
On November 18, a NATO expert group will arrive in Azerbaijan in connection with opening of the NATO Training Center.
NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating on democratic, institutional, and military reforms, and are conducting practical cooperation in other areas.
The cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and NATO is set out in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) on Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan aspires to achieve Euro-Atlantic standards and get closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions. Supporting the security sector reform and establishing democratic institutions are the key elements of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation in this regard.
Azerbaijan is among the eight partner countries that have confirmed their presence in Afghanistan after 2014. Peacekeepers of the country will stay in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops from the country by the end of 2014. Azerbaijan, however, will reduce its presence in Afghanistan after 2014.
The Azerbaijani peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan consists of 90 servicemen. A company and then a battalion of peacekeepers were established as part of the Azerbaijani armed forces in 1997. Azerbaijani peacekeepers are part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
In the past, Azerbaijan also actively supported the operations of the alliance in Kosovo.