President of Azerbaijan visits NATO
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, visited the Alliance’s Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday 29 April 2009. NATO Secretary General met with him bilaterally, before a meeting of the North Atlantic Council where the Azeri President addressed the Permanent Representatives of the 28 NATO member countries.
Topics discussed included the situation in the region, energy security and the further development of NATO –Azerbaijan relations.
“It goes without saying that Azerbaijan is a very important player in the region, but also beyond, and ... a highly valued and highly respected partner of NATO. We are building on that cooperation. We are building on that partnership," said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer during a joint point de presse after the Council meeting.
He also underlined the importance of the Azeri involvement in ISAF’s operation in Afghanistan and welcomed Azerbaijan’s active stance in the Individual Partnership Action Plan.