Azerbaijani navy officers, NATO experts to meet in Baku
By Sara Rajabova
The representatives of Azerbaijani navy officers and NATO will hold expert meeting in Baku.
Azerbaijani navy officers and representatives of NATO Maritime Component Command "Northwood" will have an expert-staff meeting on May 14-15, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.
Recently, Azerbaijani armed forces held field training as part of the Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC) to achieve a high level of coordination with NATO forces.
NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating on democratic, institutional, and military reforms, and enjoy practical cooperation in various areas.
The cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and the NATO is set out in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) on Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan aspires to achieve Euro-Atlantic standards and get closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions. In this regard, supporting reform in the security sector and establishing democratic institutions are the key elements of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation.
The Azerbaijani peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan doubled in 2009. Currently, some 90 Azerbaijani servicemen are serving in ISAF. A company and then a battalion of peacekeepers were established as part of the Azerbaijani armed forces in 1997.
In the past, Azerbaijan has also actively supported the NATO's operations in Kosovo.