NATO’s Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, Ambassador Kevin Hamilton, made his first official visit to Azerbaijan on 25 and 26 June.
Hamilton met Hikmet Hajiyev, the assistant to Azerbaijan’s president, as well as deputy foreign ministers Araz Azimov and Elnur Mammadov, NATO announced on Friday.
Talks covered the development of the NATO–Azerbaijan partnership and current regional security issues.
Hamilton also updated officials on preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.
Partnership talks and peace process
During the visit, Hamilton welcomed further steps in the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process and described them as a factor for the region’s stability, NATO said.
He also referred to Azerbaijan’s role as a partner and cited its past involvement in NATO-led missions and operations.
NATO said work is under way to finalise an Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) with Azerbaijan, a framework that sets out areas for cooperation between NATO and a partner country.
The partnership includes political dialogue and practical cooperation, such as military interoperability, defence planning and education, and countering hybrid threats — a term used for a mix of military and non-military tactics including cyberattacks and disinformation.
Hamilton also met Azerbaijani foreign and security policy experts and academics during the trip.
