BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 22. Speaker of the
Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova has met with a delegation
led by NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska, a source
in the parliament told Trend.
The meeting highlighted more than 30 year-long cooperation
between Azerbaijan and NATO, and highly appreciated the alliance’s
role in ensuring international peace and security.
During the conversation, the parties emphasized the importance
of the existing sustained and substantive political dialogue,
noting that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s visits to NATO
Headquarters, the visit of NATO’s former Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg to Azerbaijan in 2024, ongoing negotiations, and
regular contacts have brought new momentum to the partnership and
are regarded as indicators of the intensification of political
dialogue. Azerbaijan was described as a reliable and committed
partner for NATO, with an emphasis on the country’s participation
in the Alliance’s peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan and its
significance as a regional transport and logistics hub.
The meeting further highlighted Azerbaijan’s contribution to the
Alliance’s energy security, noting that the country currently
supplies natural gas to 10 NATO member states and two partner
countries. This was described as being of particular importance at
a time when energy security has become an integral part of national
security. The speaker also underlined Azerbaijan’s key transit role
in the Middle Corridor, noting that this makes an important
contribution to stability and cooperation in the region.
Gafarova also touched upon the peace process between Azerbaijan
and Armenia, saying that under the leadership of President Ilham
Aliyev, Azerbaijan has restored its sovereignty and created new
realities in the region. She pointed out that Azerbaijan was the
party that put forward the peace initiative and, following the
Washington Summit, has taken consistent and practical steps to
advance cooperation with Armenia.
Šekerinska stated that the alliance attaches special importance
to developing relations with Azerbaijan and highly values the close
political dialogue between the parties. She expressed confidence
that these relations would be further deepened within the framework
of the new Partnership Program, thanked Azerbaijan for its
cooperation with NATO and for its significant contributions to
ensuring the energy security of the Alliance’s member states, and
emphasized that the partnership will continue successfully in the
future.
The deputy secretary general also conveyed congratulations
regarding the process of peace and normalization of relations
between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of relations
between the Azerbaijani parliament and the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly, and reviewed prospects for cooperation.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News
Agency's WhatsApp channel
