Armenia has no intention to change current cooperation format with NATO, Foreign Ministry spokesman said, commenting on reported plans to boost ties with the Alliance.
“Armenia has certain formats of the NATO cooperation, and we’re not going to expand or alter those,” ITAR-TASS quoted Tigran Balayan as saying.
Spiegel Online obtained a NATO document on practical steps to develop cooperation with Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia Today reported. The paper details the Alliance’s plans for the partners’ support in the region. NATO’s short-term goal stipulates for promotion of stability in the Eastern Europe in the context of current developments. Besides, to be considered are possibilities to increase compatibility between the armies of NATO member states and those of countries listed, which probably means holding joint drills and military training, Spiegel notes.
Individual programs are envisaged for each of the 3 countries. A liaison officer will be dispatched to Kishinev; energy and cybersecurity cooperation will be boosted with Azerbaijan, with increase of qualification of the armed forces personnel as a priority in Armenia.
As NATO Liaison Officer for the Caucasus stated at the Yerevan-hosted international conference titled NATO’s Partnerships and the South Caucasus: A Strategic Approach to Regional Security in March, “any country of the Caucasus region can become a NATO member.”
According to William Lahue, NATO builds cooperation based on the rule of law and democracy, while valuing the freedom of every country in the Alliance.
Lahue criticized Russia’s actions on Ukraine as a threat to the stability in the Caucasus as well as North Atlantic regions.
He further welcomed Armenia as an important NATO partner, hailing the country’s adherence to obligations to the Alliance. “Armenia is the only CSTO country participating in the NATO operations. It’s an impotent factor allowing to combine different approaches, especially in the light of disagreements between the CSTO and NATO member states,” Lahue said.
