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Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 31 2007
Robert Simmons: We will discuss the protection of energy
infrastructure with Partners in the Caspian Sea region
[ 31 Jan. 2007 15:53 ]
Interview with the NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and
Central Asia, Ambassador Robert Simmons
- How do you estimate the IPAP between Azerbaijan and NATO? Will
there be any changes in the framework of this plan? What has already
been done according to the plan now?
- NATO and Azerbaijan agreed the IPAP in May 2005 and there was a
first review of implementation in the spring of 2006. Generally the
review was positive and Azerbaijan has implemented many of the goals
in the Plan. However, NATO Allies indicated that there could be
greater progress in the area of defence reform and I welcome the fact
that at my last meeting with the Minister of Defence, he indicated a
number of positive additional steps which had been decided. NATO will
look forward to effective implementation of those steps. The IPAP is
a living document and NATO and Azerbaijan agreed a small number of
changes in the IPAP last autumn. This revised document will be the
basis of the next annual review in spring, 2007. After that review
NATO and Azerbaijan will revise the document completely, including
setting new goals in all areas of NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation for the
years ahead.
- Will there be created any new military structures in Azerbaijan in
the future in framework of IPAP?
- As part of the IPAP process, Azerbaijan has agreed to identify a
unit which will be interoperable with NATO and other Partner forces
and thus potentially be available for a NATO peace support operation.
Through training and participation in exercises, this unit will
develop the capabilities to operate with NATO and other partner
forces. This is not a new military structure, but an existing
structure, developed specifically to be interoperable with the
Alliance. In addition, the Ministry of Defence has indicated its
interest in adapting Azerbaijan's military education structures so
they too are NATO compatible.
- When will intensive dialog between Azerbaijan and NATO start? Is
there a stimulus for that?
- There is already an extensive political dialogue between NATO and
Azerbaijan as shown by the successful visit of President Aliyev to
NATO in November 2006, when he met with the Secretary General and the
North Atlantic Council. Over the past year there were a number of
such meetings with senior officials of the Government of Azerbaijan
and NATO.
Intensified Dialogue as a technical term is the first stage in a
country's process of seeking to join the Alliance. All of the recent
new members went through Intensified Dialogue and recently NATO
decided to begin the process with Ukraine and Georgia. At the present
time, while making clear its eventual ambitions to join Euro-Atlantic
institutions, Azerbaijan has not decided to request an intensified
dialogue but rather making the best use of Partnership for Peace
activities and the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). As we
continue to develop a closer Partnership with Azerbaijan through
IPAP, NATO is not pressing Azerbaijan to move to another stage before
it is ready.
- Russia took away its military forces from Georgia and put them in
Armenia. So it creates a military misbalance in the region.
- Russia has long had forces in Armenia with the agreement of the
Government of Armenia. This fulfils the conditions of the OSCE, that
foreign forces be stationed in other countries only with the
agreement of the host country. NATO has welcomed the withdrawal of
Russia forces from Georgia as consistent with Russia's Istanbul
commitments. All countries with forces in the region should avoid
steps which go against the efforts to achieve a peaceful negotiated
settlement to conflicts in the region.
- How do you see the solution of the conflicts in South Caucasus
region and especially Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? Some analytics think
that only NATO can solve them instead of OSCE.
- NATO supports peaceful, negotiated solutions to conflicts in the
South Caucasus region. We believe that the countries of the region
themselves should find solutions to these conflicts using the
existing structures. In that context, NATO strongly supports the OSCE
Minsk Group and particularly the efforts of its Co-Chairman to seek a
peaceful solution to Nagorno Karabakh. We welcome the progress that
has been made in recent meetings between the Presidents and Foreign
Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. But we have always made clear
that NATO does not want to play a more direct role in any way which
would undercut the direct negotiations between the parties or the
efforts of the Minsk Group Co-chairman to facilitate those
discussions.
- In what way does NATO want to take part in the project of
protecting energy resources which is being carried out in South
Caucasus? Will there be placed any mobile militaries on the
territory?
- At the recent NATO summit in Riga, Allied Heads of State and
Government agreed that NATO would look at ways in which it can make
its own contribution as part of a coordinated, international effort
to secure energy resources and identify the most likely threats to
it. Obviously, the protection of energy infrastructure is one area
which the Alliance will be looking at, and we will have this
discussion also with our Partners including Partners in the Caspian
Sea region. In fact, this will be a theme of the next EAPC Security
Forum to be held this year. NATO is willing to discuss these issues
with our Partners and I have done so when I visited the region. In
any case, NATO is not considering deploying any military forces to
the South Caucasus to protect energy infrastructure. /APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Jan 31 2007
Robert Simmons: We will discuss the protection of energy
infrastructure with Partners in the Caspian Sea region
[ 31 Jan. 2007 15:53 ]
Interview with the NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and
Central Asia, Ambassador Robert Simmons
- How do you estimate the IPAP between Azerbaijan and NATO? Will
there be any changes in the framework of this plan? What has already
been done according to the plan now?
- NATO and Azerbaijan agreed the IPAP in May 2005 and there was a
first review of implementation in the spring of 2006. Generally the
review was positive and Azerbaijan has implemented many of the goals
in the Plan. However, NATO Allies indicated that there could be
greater progress in the area of defence reform and I welcome the fact
that at my last meeting with the Minister of Defence, he indicated a
number of positive additional steps which had been decided. NATO will
look forward to effective implementation of those steps. The IPAP is
a living document and NATO and Azerbaijan agreed a small number of
changes in the IPAP last autumn. This revised document will be the
basis of the next annual review in spring, 2007. After that review
NATO and Azerbaijan will revise the document completely, including
setting new goals in all areas of NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation for the
years ahead.
- Will there be created any new military structures in Azerbaijan in
the future in framework of IPAP?
- As part of the IPAP process, Azerbaijan has agreed to identify a
unit which will be interoperable with NATO and other Partner forces
and thus potentially be available for a NATO peace support operation.
Through training and participation in exercises, this unit will
develop the capabilities to operate with NATO and other partner
forces. This is not a new military structure, but an existing
structure, developed specifically to be interoperable with the
Alliance. In addition, the Ministry of Defence has indicated its
interest in adapting Azerbaijan's military education structures so
they too are NATO compatible.
- When will intensive dialog between Azerbaijan and NATO start? Is
there a stimulus for that?
- There is already an extensive political dialogue between NATO and
Azerbaijan as shown by the successful visit of President Aliyev to
NATO in November 2006, when he met with the Secretary General and the
North Atlantic Council. Over the past year there were a number of
such meetings with senior officials of the Government of Azerbaijan
and NATO.
Intensified Dialogue as a technical term is the first stage in a
country's process of seeking to join the Alliance. All of the recent
new members went through Intensified Dialogue and recently NATO
decided to begin the process with Ukraine and Georgia. At the present
time, while making clear its eventual ambitions to join Euro-Atlantic
institutions, Azerbaijan has not decided to request an intensified
dialogue but rather making the best use of Partnership for Peace
activities and the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). As we
continue to develop a closer Partnership with Azerbaijan through
IPAP, NATO is not pressing Azerbaijan to move to another stage before
it is ready.
- Russia took away its military forces from Georgia and put them in
Armenia. So it creates a military misbalance in the region.
- Russia has long had forces in Armenia with the agreement of the
Government of Armenia. This fulfils the conditions of the OSCE, that
foreign forces be stationed in other countries only with the
agreement of the host country. NATO has welcomed the withdrawal of
Russia forces from Georgia as consistent with Russia's Istanbul
commitments. All countries with forces in the region should avoid
steps which go against the efforts to achieve a peaceful negotiated
settlement to conflicts in the region.
- How do you see the solution of the conflicts in South Caucasus
region and especially Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? Some analytics think
that only NATO can solve them instead of OSCE.
- NATO supports peaceful, negotiated solutions to conflicts in the
South Caucasus region. We believe that the countries of the region
themselves should find solutions to these conflicts using the
existing structures. In that context, NATO strongly supports the OSCE
Minsk Group and particularly the efforts of its Co-Chairman to seek a
peaceful solution to Nagorno Karabakh. We welcome the progress that
has been made in recent meetings between the Presidents and Foreign
Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. But we have always made clear
that NATO does not want to play a more direct role in any way which
would undercut the direct negotiations between the parties or the
efforts of the Minsk Group Co-chairman to facilitate those
discussions.
- In what way does NATO want to take part in the project of
protecting energy resources which is being carried out in South
Caucasus? Will there be placed any mobile militaries on the
territory?
- At the recent NATO summit in Riga, Allied Heads of State and
Government agreed that NATO would look at ways in which it can make
its own contribution as part of a coordinated, international effort
to secure energy resources and identify the most likely threats to
it. Obviously, the protection of energy infrastructure is one area
which the Alliance will be looking at, and we will have this
discussion also with our Partners including Partners in the Caspian
Sea region. In fact, this will be a theme of the next EAPC Security
Forum to be held this year. NATO is willing to discuss these issues
with our Partners and I have done so when I visited the region. In
any case, NATO is not considering deploying any military forces to
the South Caucasus to protect energy infrastructure. /APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress