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Azerbaijani President: Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of NATO

07 September 2012 23:29 (UTC +04:00)

The President noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and NATO member states are very broad, predictable and are friendly character and this, in turn, further increases the current relationship between NATO and Azerbaijan.

â€We are working on many issues. One of these questions - the situation in Afghanistan. Azerbaijan from the first day to participate in peacekeeping operations and contributed to operations International Security Assistance Force. We have doubled the number of our troops in Afghanistan. We contribute and by supporting the placement, transit, logistics, including the use of air space. Today, over 30 percent are sent to Afghanistan nonmilitary cargo transported via Azerbaijan. We are ready to continue our work", - the head of State said.

The President stressed that Azerbaijan is ready to participate in the development process and after 2014: "We are also involved in training programs, non-military aid programs. We have helped the Fund for the Afghan National Army and made a statement for further assistance. In other words, this is a very sincere and open co-operation based on common values. We will do everything possible to ensure that our Afghan friends were able to eliminate all the difficulties arising in front of them".

The President said that with NATO Secretary General discussed the situation in the region, regional security and the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: "Azerbaijan is committed to an early resolution of the conflict based on the principles of international law and territorial integrity. We are very grateful for the support of NATO’s territorial integrity. This is reflected in the documents of the Chicago summit, as well as the previous and the Lisbon summit in Bucharest. Azerbaijani lands, we can say that its already 20 years under occupation. We must put an end to this injustice, to remove this regional threat".

According to the president at the meeting was also discussed energy security: "Azerbaijan is working closely with NATO member states on the issue. We have opened vast reserves of energy, has a modern transportation infrastructure, pipelines. We plan to build a new pipeline TANAP. Through this line, we can transport our resources to the European markets. As a reliable partner in the field of energy security, Azerbaijan is ready to continue its efforts to strengthen the partnership. I am confident that this partnership will continue, and given that we are already working with the Member States on issues of energy security, it will be successful. In the energy balance of some member countries the share of Azeri oil exceeds 30 percent. I am sure that there will come a time when our gas will also play a major role in gas consumption in Europe, our friends and neighbors".