Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The Romanian embassy in Baku has organized a table on “Strengthening NATO-Azerbaijan relations: perspectives and opportunities” in its capacity of NATO Contact Point Embassy to Azerbaijan.

The event that took part on March 2 was attended by officials of the North Atlantic Alliance, ambassadors, diplomats and military attaches from embassies of NATO countries in Baku.

Opening the event, Daniel Cristian Ciobanu, Romanian ambassador to Azerbaijan highlighted the strategic character of the NATO-Azerbaijan partnership and the fact that cooperation between North Atlantic Alliance and Baku is actively developing.

“Azerbaijan is a reliable partner in a region of pivotal importance for Europe’s energy security. Cooperation brings mutual benefits and contributes to regional and Euro-Atlantic security. A significant dimension of NATO-Azerbaijan interaction is focused on training and education,” Ciobanu said.

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.

He underlined Romania, which has been the second country in the world to recognize independence of Azerbaijan, will further support the development of NATO-Azerbaijan partnership relations.

Jean D’Andurain from NATO Headquarters informed about the latest developments in NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation, while Pavel Anastasov from NATO Headquarters presented the main elements of NATO’s training and education programs.

Participants in the roundtable exchanged views on the positive experience of NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation.

Azerbaijan and Romania have a long history of relations dating back to the 15th century.

While the two sides enjoy good cooperation in multiple areas, the main focus has been on trade and energy links.

Romania also has been a strong advocate of Azerbaijan's future membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), pointing out the strategic importance of the country for trade and shipping, particularly with a view towards Afghanistan.

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

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