Further cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO and the bilateral relations between member-states of the organization will be continued, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan President said in Brussels, addressing the participants of the sitting of the NATO Atlantic Cooperation Council.
According to him, the region is facing new challenges, and Azerbaijan's cooperation with NATO will bring serious political, economic, and social reforms both to Azerbaijan and its army.
The Head of the Azerbaijani State said that detailed and interesting discussions on bilateral and regional cooperation, as well as exchange of opinions on regional and energy security were held with the NATO Secretary General, who said that the two parties' opinions on these issues were undivided.
Mr. Aliyev said that Azerbaijan plays an important role in the region, and for over 19 years cooperates with NATO within peaceful programmes, such as NATO Individual Partnership Actions Plan. We are taking part in peacemaking operations all over the World. And by being a rapidly-developing country, Azerbaijan's capabilities are set to increase, said the Azerbaijani President. Mr. President also said that the integration to Euro Atlantic organizations is a very important element of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.
Mr. President said that the day before, he had negotiations with the EU leadership, concerning bilateral relations between the two parties, and implementation of the EU Neighbourhood Policy Initiative. Both parties signed the Memorandum on Mutual Understanding in the Sphere of Strategic Energy Partnership between Azerbaijan and EU. These issues are mutually dependent. No doubt, we should tackle them jointly, he said.
