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President Aliyev: Azerbaijan NATO’s reliable partner [UPDATE]

14 December 2021 19:23 (UTC+04:00)
President Aliyev: Azerbaijan NATO’s reliable partner [UPDATE]

By Vugar Khalilov

President Ilham Aliyev has said that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of NATO, Azertag reported on December 14.

Aliyev made the remarks at his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels on December, the report added.

Underlining the dynamics of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and NATO, Aliyev stressed that this was already his seventh visit to the Alliance's headquarters. He added that Azerbaijani servicemen served in Afghanistan from 2002 to late August 2021.

At the meeting, Stoltenberg described Azerbaijan as a valuable partner for the Alliance by appreciating the Azerbaijani military personnel's service in the Resolute Support operation in Afghanistan. He reminded that Azerbaijani peacekeepers were the last servicemen to leave Afghanistan, having contributed to the evacuation of over 120,000 people through the Kabul airport. He thanked President Aliyev for this contribution.

The sides also exchanged views on regional issues that emerged in the post-conflict period, noting Azerbaijan’s readiness to negotiate a peace agreement with Armenia. Security issues in the region were discussed as well.

Aliyev highlighted that Azerbaijan has close friendly ties and strategic partnerships with NATO member states, as well as strategic alliance relations with Turkey, which is considered one of the leading member states of the Alliance.

The parties also stressed the importance of Azerbaijan's partnership with NATO's Partnership for Peace program since 1994. In this context, it was noted that Azerbaijan actively participates in NATO's Individual Partnership Action Plan and other programs, and operational military coordination between the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and NATO troops is developing. At the same time, the sides exchanged views on Azerbaijan's participation in NATO drills and drills between Turkey and Azerbaijan on a bilateral basis.

Azerbaijan’s important role in Europe's energy security was also noted during the meeting. The contribution of Azerbaijan as a regional transport and logistical center in the implementation of NATO's Resolute Support Mission was also praised.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan's cooperation with NATO began in 1994 under the Partnership for Peace framework document.

President Ilham Aliyev has seven times been to the NATO headquarters and NATO secretary generals have visited Azerbaijan three times. Aliyev also attended seven NATO Summits (Istanbul 2004, Bucharest 2008, Lisbon 2010, Chicago 2012, Cardiff 2014, Warsaw 2016, and Brussels 2018).

NATO has always supported Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In the ninth NATO Summit, the final documents of the event expressed support for Azerbaijan's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The documents stressed the importance of resolving the conflicts in the South Caucasus, including the former Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, in line with norms and principles of international law.

During the 44-day war in 2020, NATO repeatedly called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to maintain the ceasefire and continue negotiations. In October 2020, during a press conference with Armenian President Armen Sargsyan, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reminded the Armenian president that NATO is not engaged in this conflict.

In the post-conflict period, the new reality created by Azerbaijan as a result of the historic victory over Armenia was also accepted by NATO, and a paragraph referring to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was removed from the final text of the NATO Summit in Brussels in June 2021.

The main areas of practical cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO include reforms in the defence and security sector, participation in international operations, emergency readiness, scientific and environmental issues related to security and public diplomacy.

Azerbaijan has taken serious steps to bring its armed forces in line with NATO standards. Since 2002, more than 30 Azerbaijani officers have served at NATO headquarters and agencies.

Practical projects between Azerbaijan and NATO, such as the Saloglu and Jeyranchol projects on mine clearance have been successfully implemented.

Azerbaijan has actively participated in NATO missions in Afghanistan since 2002. From 2015 to August 2021, Azerbaijan participated in the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. A total of 120 Azerbaijani servicemen served at Kabul International Airport during the Taliban takeover of Kabul. The Azerbaijani military has made a significant contribution to ensuring security at the airport and organizing the safe evacuation of the population. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Azerbaijan for its services in ensuring security at the airport in August 2021.

Furthermore, in 2017-2020, Azerbaijan hosted seven meetings of high-ranking NATO-Russia and the United States-Russia military officials.

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President Aliyev: Azerbaijan NATO’s reliable partner [UPDATE] - Gallery Image
President Aliyev: Azerbaijan NATO’s reliable partner [UPDATE] - Gallery Image
President Aliyev: Azerbaijan NATO’s reliable partner [UPDATE] - Gallery Image
President Aliyev: Azerbaijan NATO’s reliable partner [UPDATE] - Gallery Image
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