Azerbaijani foreign minister, NATO secretary general discuss Baku's contribution to mission in Afghanistan
BAKU. June 1 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, have discussed prospects of relations between Baku and the alliance, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press service reported.
Mammadyarov and Stoltenberg shared their satisfaction with the way that the partnership is developing between Azerbaijan and NATO, the Foreign Ministry said. Stoltenberg highly valued Azerbaijan's active participation in NATO's Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), Planning and Review Process (PARP), and Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC).
The parties particularly highlighted the importance of Azerbaijan's facilitation of NATO forces' transport in Afghanistan, including its contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Resolute Support Mission.
Azerbaijan and Afghanistan are also developing relations on a bilateral basis, and the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad should enhance Afghanistan's access to the regional transport infrastructure.
Mammadyarov informed Stoltenberg about a negotiating process on settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that the meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Vienna, on May 16, provided favorable preconditions to start substantive talks.