Baku hosts winter session of NATO Int’l School
By Nazrin Gadimova
Winter session of the NATO International School of Azerbaijan (NISA) started in Baku on February 24.
The session, which will focus on prospects of the EU's Eastern Partnership (EP) program and its implications on political, military, economic and other dimensions of security for the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond, brings together speakers from the EU, the U.S., Russia, NATO, and other countries to discuss scenarios and foster common understanding of upcoming developments.
Experts from Azerbaijan and NATO member countries, young researchers and students will attend the event, which will last until March 1.
NISA is an independent, non-profit and non-political organization registered in January 2007. NISA acts as research and information center on Euro-Atlantic issues and organizes school sessions, conferences, courses, round-tables, study visits, essay contests and so forth. As an independent institution, NISA works with students, graduates, researchers, scholars, practitioners and wider public to increase public awareness about the Euro-Atlantic security and integration.
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.
Moreover, 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. However, Azerbaijan will reduce its presence in Afghanistan after 2014.