Azerbaijan country of pivotal importance for Europe’s energy security
By Amina Nazarli
Romanian Ambassador to Baku Daniel Cristian Ciobanu delivered a speech at the international conference on Cyber Security on January 12.
The event was organized by NATO International School of Azerbaijan with the support of the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry in the framework of NISA Winter Session in Baku between January 11 and 15.
The ambassador underlined that Romania is paying a particular attention to cyber security and is fully committed to making a substantial contribution to the implementation of NATO’s Cyber Defense Policy.
The fast evolution and sophistication of cyber attacks have pushed the issue of cyber defense, which is a part of the NATO's core task of collective defense, to the top of the organization security agenda.
Ciobanu highlighted that developing responses to emerging security challenges is a common effort of NATO and partners.
Romania, which has been the second country in the world to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence and established a strategic partnership with Baku since 2009, acts in the position of a NATO member, which can share its recent experience of Euro-Atlantic integration, presenting best practices and providing expertise on the implementation of reforms in the security sector in accordance to NATO standards.
The Romanian ambassador said that cyber attacks pose a substantial threat to critical infrastructure and have a disruptive effect on economy.
Close cooperation of Azerbaijan with the Alliance is beneficial to the stability and security of the Wider Black Sea – Caspian area, encouraging also fast development of energy projects and joint initiatives among countries sharing similar tasks and objectives. Azerbaijan is a country of pivotal importance for Europe’s energy security and to peace and stability in the Caucasus.
Ciobanu concluded that Romania, as a NATO and EU member, is determined to further promote and actively support Azerbaijan’s efforts to enhance its relations with the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions.
Romania fulfills the mandate of NATO Contact Point Embassy in the Azerbaijan for the fourth time in a row and vowed to continue its efforts for promoting the benefits of NATO-Azerbaijan partnership.
NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating on democratic, institutional, and military reforms, and enjoy 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 reform in the security sector and establishing democratic institutions are the key elements of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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