Norwegian Ambassador talks about Azerbaijan's NATO entrance

"The issue of Azerbaijan's entry into NATO depends on the country's will. Azerbaijan must improve and upgrade its defense capabilities, both in military and in civilian areas," Norway's ambassador to Azerbaijan Jan Ramberg believes.

The new strategic concept of NATO will be adopted in November 2010, the ambassador said while addressing at the conference "NATO's role in ensuring stability and security in Europe and in the strategic arena" held in Baku.

The concept will cover all member states, as well as NATO partner states. At this stage consultations on adopting new concept are held between member states of the bloc, the ambassador said.

Fundamentals of cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO were laid by signing of the framework document - the program "Partnership for Peace" on May 4, 1994. Azerbaijan was one of 27 states - OSCE members. It was one of the first countries which became a participant of this program.

An official document was signed within the program "Partnership for Peace" to determine specific areas of interaction in April 1996. Currently, Azerbaijan fulfills nearly 50 partner tasks in accordance with this program.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree "Approval of the Individual Partnership Action Plan between Azerbaijan and NATO" on August 3, 2005. Now the cooperation is implemented within the second phase of the "Individual Partnership Action Plan between Azerbaijan and NATO". 


/Trend/