Azerbaijan, Baku, 16 June / Trend corr S.Agayeva/ " Azerbaijan is an important partner for NATO," NATO representative Diego Ruiz-Palmer said to journalists in Baku on 16 June.
" Azerbaijan may use the NATO Open Door Policy to state its wish to join the Alliance," Palmer said. According to him, NATO highly appreciates Azerbaijan's support to set peace and stability in Afghanistan and Iraq.
" Azerbaijan is a country contributing to international security," Ruiz-Palmer said.
The foundation for cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was laid through signing a program-document within the framework of the Partnership for Peace on 4 May 1994. Azerbaijan was one of the first amongst the 27 OSCE member countries to join the program. In April 1996, an official document envisaging concrete directions in the cooperation was signed within the framework of the Partnership for Peace. Now, by the program Azerbaijan is fulfilling about 50 tasks.
In August 2005, the Azerbaijani President signed the Decree on Approval of the Working Plan on Individual Partnership between Azerbaijan and NATO. Presently, the two sides are cooperating within the framework of the second stage of the Working Plan.
