Azerbaijan hosts NATO Days
By Nazrin Gadimova
A workshop titled Days of NATO was held at Azerbaijan's Armed Forces on November 25-28, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry reported.
The workshop was organized by the NATO Allied Command Transformation and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SACT).
Led by group coordinator of preparation and implementation department of the NATO Office of Defense Cooperation and Colonel of the Turkish Armed Forces Yusuf Bayazit, the workshop aimed at informing faculty and commanders, military cadets, and students of educational institutions of Azerbaijan about the NATO.
During the event, round tables, presentations, and discussions on the NATO's structure, history of creation, objectives, policies, strategies, concepts, processes, transformation, and reforms were held. The partnership deals, emergency operations, and peace operations of the North Atlantic alliance were also discussed.
NATO Days is held annually as part of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation, with the participation of the SACT expert group.
Earlier, the Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation was discussed at a high-level seminar organized by the Brussels office of the European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), attended by several members from the Friends of Azerbaijan Group in the EP.
NATO's role in the region's energy security was also discussed in Baku during a conference titled "Cooperative Approach to Energy Security: View from NATO and Beyond", held on November 21.
NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating on democratic, institutional, and military reforms, as well as conducting practical cooperation in various areas.
The cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and the 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. In this regard, supporting the security sector reform and establishing democratic institutions are the key elements of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation.
Azerbaijan is also 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. However, Azerbaijan 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 has also actively supported the Alliance's operations in Kosovo.