NATO unlikely to deploy troops in Karabakh conflict zone

 November 3, 2015 - 15:06 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - NATO does not consider - though never rules out - the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping mission in Nagorno Karabakh, a NATO officer said.

“The alliance may discuss the issue in case Armenia and Azerbaijan agree that the deployment is really important for the conflict settlement and the elimination of future casualties,” Bill Lahue, who currently serves as a NATO liaison officer in the South Caucasus, told reporters in Yerevan.

Samvel Mkrtchyan, the head of Foreign Ministry’s Arms Control and International Security Department, added, in turn, that the issue is included on the agenda and can be implemented only after a corresponding agreement is signed.

Lahue stressed that Armenia-NATO relations are very important and even unique in some way, because Armenia is the only CSTO member state to take part in NATO-led peacekeeping operations.

According to him, Armenia makes full use of Partnership tools provided by NATO.