Baku: "Azerbaijan is a committed partner and cooperates with NATO Allies and other partner countries in many areas, including security and defence reform, cyber defence, and counterterrorism," said Alexander Vinnikov, Head of the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia in an interview with APA. He stated that building the capabilities and interoperability of Azerbaijan's Armed Forces with the Alliance is a key focus area for NATO's partnership with Azerbaijan.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Azerbaijan's participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace Programme since 1994 has allowed NATO and individual Allies to assist Azerbaijan in developing selected units to improve interoperability with the Alliance. Within the programme, Azerbaijan develops units in accordance with NATO standards, organises force contributions for NATO-led peace-support operations, and prepares a range of other capabilities for potential future missions in which Azerbaijan may decide to participate.

Azerbaijan has already contributed significantly to NATO-led missions and operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and maintains a notable presence in NATO military structures through the Partnership Staff Posts initiative. Azerbaijan also has a long-standing interest in cooperating on de-mining as well as the protection of critical energy infrastructure, including against terrorist attacks, Alexander Vinnikov noted.