Baku hosts NATO seminar on South Caucasus
By Sara Rajabova
Baku is hosting NATO Parliamentary Assembly's 86th seminar "Rose-Roth" on June 16, titled:"South Caucasus: Challenges and opportunities."
Addressing the opening ceremony of "Rose-Roth" seminar, President of NATO Parliamentary Assembly Hugh Bailey said NATO will continue its efforts in helping the sides of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to reach an agreement.
Bailey noted the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which erupted back in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan, cannot be resolved by military means.
Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.
"Azerbaijan is located in a complex region. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can only be resolved by means of compromise. In turn, NATO will continue its efforts to ensure that parties of the conflict will come to an agreement," Bailey said.
He also expressed satisfaction that the seminar is attended by representatives of Armenia.
Also, speaking at the seminar, Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov said it is necessary to establish a relationship based on mutual trust, promoted cooperation devoid of double standards in order to overcome the conflicts in the South Caucasus.
Asadov hoped that this seminar will have an impact on the situation in the South Caucasus.
Briefing about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he noted that Azerbaijan is ready to maintain peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region.
Referring to the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO, Asadov added that the country intends to continue its cooperation with this organization.
He also stressed the close ties between Azerbaijan and Europe on the issue of energy security.
Then, Asadov asked the participants to express their views on the situation in Iraq, where several Turkish diplomats were taken hostage.
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 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.
The number of Azerbaijan's peacekeepers in Afghanistan doubled in 2009. Currently, some 90 Azerbaijani servicemen are serving in ISAF. A company and then a battalion of peacekeepers were established in the country as part of the Azerbaijani armed forces in 1997.
In the past, Azerbaijan actively supported NATO's operations in Kosovo.
Azerbaijan is among the eight partner countries that have confirmed their presence in Afghanistan after 2014.