Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, Javier Kolomina, the press service of the head of government of Armenia reported.

Pashinyan briefed the representative of the North Atlantic Alliance on Armenia’s position on the delimitation and subsequent demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the unblocking of transport communications in the post-war region and the process of normalising Armenian-Turkish relations.

The head of the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers touched upon the agreements with Baku reached as a result of meetings mediated by international partners, and once again stressed the importance of a purposeful response of the international community to actions aimed at destabilising the region.

Referring to the regional situation, Pashinyan noted that it remains tense, and that Yerevan is taking steps to solve existing problems, and considers the support of its international partners in this process necessary.

Kolomina, in turn, noted that "Armenia is a potential partner of NATO," and conveyed to the Prime Minister the greetings of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. According to him, NATO highly appreciates the activities of the Armenian servicemen in the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and his visit provides an opportunity to discuss partnership prospects, as well as regional developments. NATO is committed to ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus and is ready to contribute to the peace process in the region, the alliance's special representative assured.

“The interlocutors exchanged views on the Armenia-NATO partnership. They also touched upon issues of regional and international security and the situation around the Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Cabinet of Ministers’ press service added.

Azerbaijan

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Javier Kolomina.

The meeting focused on the President's visit to NATO Headquarters at the end of last year and his meeting with the Secretary General, as well as his speech at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council. At the same time, the participation of Azerbaijan in the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan was noted.

They exchanged views on the process of normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia during the post-conflict period, issues related to energy security, regional security, and prospects for Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation.

Georgia

Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, at a meeting with Special Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South Caucasus and Central Asia Javier Kolomina in Tbilisi, discussed "the special importance of Georgia's entry into NATO… considering the new geopolitical reality." Papuashvili expressed hope that "Georgia's progress will be recognised at the NATO summit in Madrid," the press service of the Georgian parliament reported.

For his part, the Special Representative of the NATO Secretary General emphasised the "strategic importance of the South Caucasus region for North Atlantic security," noting that Georgia is a worthy partner of the North Atlantic Alliance. “NATO will continue to actively cooperate with Georgia and promote democratic reforms,” Kolomina said.

During the visit, Javier Kolomina met with Lasha Darsalia, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Discussions focused on the security environment in the region, NATO-Georgia cooperation, the progress achieved in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration and the importance of effective implementation of the planned reforms.

Discussing issues related to NATO's Open-Door Policy set forth in NATO’s New Strategic Concept, the sides highlighted the importance of properly reflecting the decision of the Bucharest Summit and the results achieved by aspirant Georgia.

While on the theme of the forthcoming Madrid Summit, the sides agreed to continue close consultations during the preparations for the Madrid Summit.