The Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, was quoted as praising Azerbaijan’s close military ties with Turkey, which has boasted its help and alliance to Baku during the 2020 Artsakh War.
“The close cooperation between the Azerbaijani army and the Turkish armed forces will greatly contribute to the deepening of [Azerbaijan’s] relations with NATO,” Azerbaijani media quoted Stoltenberg as saying during talks with Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov.
Stoltenberg, who arrived in Baku on Sunday, is on a tour of the Caucasus and will be visiting Yerevan on Tuesday.
Meeting with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Stoltenberg welcomed Baku’s long-standing collaboration with NATO, saying he looked forward to further strengthening the partnership. He also welcomed that Azerbaijan is developing closer ties with several NATO allies, as it relates to energy security.
The NATO official said that peace and stability in the region were crucial for broader security concerns.
“Armenia and Azerbaijan now have an opportunity to achieve an enduring peace after years of conflict,” Stoltenberg told Aliyev. “I can just encourage you to seize this opportunity to reach a lasting peace agreement with Armenia”.
He also praised Azerbaijan’s “much-needed” support to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began over two years ago, saying “more support is needed because the situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult.”
Stoltenberg also met with Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, on Monday. The two reportedly discussed issues related to NATO-Azerbaijan partnership and strengthening relations between Baku and the bloc.
