NATO has boosted its partnership with Azerbaijan as Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska visited the South Caucasus nation on 21 – 22 January 2026 for talks with senior officials.
Shekerinska met Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova and presidential representative Elchin Amirbayov, the NATO press service announced on Thursday.
The meetings covered Azerbaijan’s cooperation with NATO and topics including the normalisation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and NATO’s role in supporting stability in the Black Sea region.
Shekerinska described Azerbaijan’s relationship with NATO as a partnership spanning more than three decades of political dialogue and practical cooperation, including work on military interoperability — the ability of different forces to operate together — and defence education.
She also referred to Azerbaijan’s participation in NATO-led missions in Afghanistan.
Energy, reforms and a new regional envoy
Azerbaijan’s gas exports have contributed to the energy independence of several NATO member countries, particularly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and have supported Europe’s energy independence including that of Ukraine, Shekerinska said.
NATO is ready to continue political dialogue and cooperation with Azerbaijan and to assist with security and defence reforms, including by finalising an Individually Tailored Partnership Programme.
The proposed programme is described as a multi-year framework giving Azerbaijan access to partnership activities including defence education modernisation, demining, countering information threats and cyber defence.
Shekerinska also announced that NATO has appointed a new Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, who is expected to take up duties soon.
During the visit, she met students at ADA University, as well as experts, representatives of Azerbaijan’s national think-tank community and Allied ambassadors.
