Azerbaijan Close Partner of NATO - Jens Stoltenberg

Baku / 05.04.19 / Turan: Azerbaijan is a close partner of NATO and works closely with the Alliance to establish international peace and security. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a press statement at a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Washington DC, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the organization.

According to Stoltenberg, Azerbaijan has made a significant military and multimodal transit contribution to the Resolute Support mission, which is being held in Afghanistan under the leadership of NATO.

In addition, according to the NATO Secretary General, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which began operating in 2017, is used by NATO member countries for transportation to Afghanistan and in the opposite direction.

The commentary of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan in connection with the statement of Stoltenberg recalls that the basis for cooperation between Baku and NATO was laid on May 4, 1994 by signing a framework document Partnership for Peace.

Since 2003, Azerbaijan has been contributing to NATO operations in Afghanistan. Currently, a delegation of 120 people, including 6 staff officers of Azerbaijan and 2 military doctors, serve as part of the Resolute Support mission of the Alliance in Afghanistan.

With the launch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in 2017, wide opportunities opened up for multimodal transportation to Afghanistan. This road makes up the main part of the Lapis-Lazuli transport corridor and makes an important contribution to the uninterrupted and safe transportation of the NATO countries to Afghanistan, the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. -06D--