President Aliyev: Azerbaijan’s cooperation with NATO has great potential
President Ilham Aliyev attended a meeting of the North Atlantic Council of NATO in the Kingdom of Belgium on November 23.
The visit of the President to NATO headquarters marks another milestone in relations between the two sides which started when Azerbaijan joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1992 and the Partnership for Peace in 1994. Azerbaijan is important to NATO as a partner that seeks to help the Alliance fight terrorism, restores stability in troubled regions, and adopts the military and political norms of the organization.
As part of his working visit, President Aliyev met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for talks on the Alliance’s partnership with Azerbaijan and regional security in the South Caucasus.
President Aliyev praised good history of cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO at a joint press point with Stoltenberg at NATO Headquarters, saying that he was glad to be back in the NATO Headquarters and have opportunity to discuss important issues of Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation.
The head of state reminded that the country participated in many NATO operations and now Azerbaijan is contributing to the Resolute Support Mission (RSM).
“Ninety four Azerbaijani servicemen serve shoulder to shoulder with NATO servicemen in order to provide security and peace to Afghanistan,” further said Ilham Aliyev.
“Azerbaijan also provides multimodal transit and flight clearances for the coalition forces,” said the president. “Azerbaijan contributed to the Afghan army's National Trust Fund.”
Further speaking, Ilham Aliyev said that he discussed issues related to regional security with Jens Stoltenberg. The President added that the biggest threat to regional security is the unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Our territories remain under occupation. More than one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. Ethnic cleansing policy was conducted against Azerbaijanis, and the situation is not changing, unfortunately,” said Ilham Aliyev.
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan are under the control of the Armenian military and separatists since a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan ceased in 1994. Negotiations lasting for over 20 years have brought little progress in resolving the conflict, though a fragile truce has been in place.
The President went on to add that Armenia wants to keep the status-quo for as long as possible, despite the statements of OSCE Minsk Group countries' presidents, that status-quo is unacceptable and must be changed. Ilham Aliyev also reminded about the UN Security Council resolutions that demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories.
“For more than 20 years, Armenia doesn't implement them,” he said. “The resolution of the conflict must be based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.”
President Aliyev said that he also discussed the issues related to transportation security with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“I informed Mr. Secretary General that Azerbaijan together with its neighbors successfully completed the BakuTbilisi-Kars railroad, which will be the shortest route between Asia and Europe. Also, the supply to Afghanistan will be easier and more efficient through this route,” Ilham Aliyev said.
“Our cooperation with NATO has great potential,” said the President, noting that this is his sixth visit to the NATO Headquarters, and this shows that the AzerbaijanNATO cooperation is very strong.
“We will continue our partnership in order to provide peace, security and stability in the region,” said Ilham Aliyev.
Stoltenberg, for his part, commenting on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict said that there is no military solution to the conflict.
“Today we have discussed regional security in South Caucasus. The unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a matter of concern. It is clear that there is no military solution to this conflict,” he said adding that NATO has no direct role here.
Stoltenberg further said that NATO supports the works of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
“I am encouraged to hear about your renewed dialogue with the president of Armenia. We encourage you to continue path to a negotiated solution,” he concluded.
Stoltenberg praised Azerbaijan’s commitment to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and its decision to increase troop contributions next year.
“Today we have discussed our long-standing cooperation. We are grateful for your continued commitment to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan with troops, transit and financial support to the Afghan national security forces. And I also want to thank you for your decision to increase your troop contributions to our Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan,” he said.
Stoltenberg went on to add that the cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan goes back many years.
“It is founded on the commitment to democratic values and principles. Today our practical cooperation covers many areas from capability developments to energy security,” he said.
Stoltenberg also expressed gratitude for the decision of Azerbaijan to make the UNSC resolution 1325 on women, peace and security a part of the cooperation agenda.
“All this contributes to making the Euro Atlantic area safer and more secure. We are committed to continue working with you in all areas that you have chosen and to take our cooperation further,” he added.