(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Fatima Hasanova
On November 21, First Deputy Minister of Defense – Chief of the
General Staff of the Azerbaijani army Col-Gen Karim Valiyev met
with Deputy Chief of Staff at Partnership Directorate at NATO's
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Rear Admiral Gunnstein
Bruåsdal, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry.
Welcoming the guest, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan as part of
the NATO Days, Col-Gen Valiyev emphasized the development of
Azerbaijani-NATO relations, as well as the active participation of
the Azerbaijani Army representatives in various NATO programs.
Stressing the importance of the victory gained in the second
Karabakh war under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, Chief of the General Staff of the
Azerbaijani Army spoke about the work done in the liberated
territories during the post-war period.
The sides discussed prospects for the development of cooperation
between Azerbaijan and NATO, as well as areas of joint activity
against current and potential threats.
Col-Gen Valiyev highly appreciated the contribution of NATO to
the training of units of the Azerbaijani Army as part of the NATO
Operational Capabilities Concept.
Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome, Rear Admiral Bruåsdal
emphasized that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of the North
Atlantic Alliance and highly appreciated the active participation
of our country in the fight against terrorism, the activities of
Azerbaijan Army servicemen at NATO headquarters, as well as their
professionalism demonstrated in international peacekeeping
missions.
Then the parties exchanged views on other issues of mutual
interest.
Relations with NATO started in 1992 when Azerbaijan joined the
North Atlantic Cooperation Council. This forum for dialogue was
succeeded in 1997 by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, which
brings together all allies and partner countries in the
Euro-Atlantic area.
Bilateral cooperation began when Azerbaijan joined the
Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in 1994. Thanks to regular
participation in PfP activities, Azerbaijan has been able to
contribute actively to Euro-Atlantic security by supporting
NATO-led peace-support operations.
Azerbaijan's participation in the PfP Planning and Review
Process (PARP) since 1997 has enabled NATO and individual allies to
assist Azerbaijan in developing selected units to improve
interoperability with those of the allies.
NATO and Azerbaijan started work on a jointly agreed Defense
Education Enhancement Program (DEEP) in 2008 to integrate NATO
standards into the teaching methodologies and curricula of the
country's Professional Military Education (PME) institutions.
In 2018, Azerbaijan asked NATO to also involve the Military High
School, a pre-commissioning school, in DEEP.
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