Baku, Azerbaijan, July 20
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
NATO and the European Union (EU) should make contribution to Azerbaijan’s modernization, head of Israel-based NGO International Projects for Society, political analyst Arye Gut said in his article published in the Jerusalem Post.
“Developing and strengthening partnership with the EU and NATO in political, economic and humanitarian fields is one of the priorities of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. Cooperation with the European Union and NATO can undoubtedly help Azerbaijan achieve many its goals, and Baku is therefore interested in advancing the country’s bilateral relations,” said the article.
Gut believes it is vital that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU is based on efficiency, equal partnership, mutual understanding and respect.
Azerbaijan is making its great contribution to energy security in Europe not only through diversified routes of supply, but most importantly by enabling diversified sources of those supplies, according to the political analyst.
He went on to add that at the same time Azerbaijan is conducting political dialogue with NATO on a broad range of issues of common concern based on the Partnership for Peace principles.
“Within the political dialogue, which is held in different formats and levels, issues like partnerships, regional security, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, contributions to Afghanistan, energy security, etc., are topics of bilateral discussions and consultations. The high-level political dialogue based on mutual understanding promotes progress in practical cooperation,” said the article.
The author pointed out that the PfP Presentation Document (1996), Planning and Review Process (1997) and Individual Partnership Action Plan (2004) Documents are the main national papers that define key principles and goals of Azerbaijan’s individual partnership with NATO.
“Azerbaijan as a secular, tolerant and multicultural state in the Islamic world, is steadily pursuing the modernization of the country in all areas, and it is important that the EU and NATO, as strong and powerful partners, be participate and contribute in this process,” he added.
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