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Azerbaijan is highly valued partner of NATO

19 March 2015 16:43 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan is highly valued partner of NATO

By Sara Rajabova

Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan hailed the good relations which exist between Azerbaijan and NATO, noting they have a strategic value.

Daniel Cristian Ciobanu made the remarks during the conference “In the aftermath of NATO Wales Summit – cooperation between North Atlantic Alliance and Partner Countries” in Baku on March 19.

The Romanian embassy in Baku acts as a NATO contact point embassy to Azerbaijan.

Ciobanu said Azerbaijan is a highly valued partner of NATO, adding that the political dialogue between the sides covers a wide range of issues.

“NATO and Azerbaijan actively cooperate on democratic, institutional and defense reforms and have developed practical cooperation in many other areas,” Ciobanu said.

NATO is assisting Azerbaijan with the training and modernization of its armed forces, according to the ambassador.

The envoy mentioned the joint participation of Azerbaijan and NATO in the operations in Afghanistan, as well as the country’s active participation in the programs of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Ciobanu said the close cooperation of Azerbaijan with NATO is beneficial to stability in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions.

“As a NATO and EU member, Romania is determined to further promote and actively support Azerbaijan’s efforts to enhance its relations with the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions,” Ciobanu said.

There is a big potential for the development of NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation, he added.

Steffen Elgersma, a representative of political affairs and security division at NATO Headquarters said the strong partnership established between Azerbaijan and NATO over the past years had continuously evolved.

He noted the importance of participation of Azerbaijani soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, as well as hailed the reforms that have been carried out in Azerbaijan in the defense sector.

“Another element of our cooperation is to bring the number of structures of Azerbaijan in line with NATO standards. In general, the essence of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and NATO has not changed. Our relations with Azerbaijan are unique because they involve several structures. The main thing is that this cooperation has been fruitful,” Elgersma said.

As for new aspects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO, Elgersma pointed to cooperation in the field of cyber security and safety of energy projects.

“Azerbaijan itself determines the level of cooperation. Nevertheless, we jointly conduct more than 200 events, and thousands of Azerbaijani soldiers are involved in the exercise,” he added.

Relations between NATO and Azerbaijan have successfully developed over the past years. NATO and Azerbaijan actively cooperate on democratic, institutional and defense reforms, and have developed practical cooperation in many other areas.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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