Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian on Wednesday participated in talks in Brussels focused on partnership with NATO.
At the meeting held in the alliance’s headquarters, the Armenian ministers discussed with the ambassadors of 28 NATO member states and NATO leaders and senior officials different aspects of the current state of partnership and its prospects.
According to the information released by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nalbandian also presented Armenia’s foreign policy priorities, the latest developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, Armenia’s participation in fighting international terrorism and conducting peace-keeping missions, addressed the implementation of the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, the Syrian crisis and relevant issues, Armenia’s position on current issues in international relations.
Speaking about Armenia-NATO relations, the top Armenian diplomat positively evaluated the “efficient interaction” within the framework of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). He said the fourth Armenia-NATO IPAP for 2014-2016 was being successfully implemented, while the drafting of the next IPAP for 2017-2018 is going to be launched soon.
Defense Minister Ohanian in his speech addressed the current reforms in Armenia’s defense system and expansion of possibilities in the military education. He attached importance to partnership between Armenia and NATO in this context.
According to NATO’s official website, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Armenia for its contributions to NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo.
The Secretary General welcomed Armenia’s commitment to the NATO Building Integrity Program and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
Stoltenberg also highlighted “Armenia’s sustained cooperation with NATO in the areas of defense reform, enhanced interoperability, defense education reform and civil emergency planning.”