NATO ENVOY PRAISES ARMENIA’S PROGRESS IN PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

Arminfo
22 May 06

Yerevan, 22 May: Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan
met the special representative of the NATO secretary-general for the
South Caucasus, Robert Simmons, today, a source in the press service
of the Armenian Foreign Ministry has said.

Summing up the outcome of working meetings of representatives of NATO
and members of inter-agency commissions for the implementation of the
Individual Partnership Action Plan [IPAP] programme on 18-19 May,
Simmons highly appreciated the implementation of the plan and said
that Armenia had made considerable progress in the implementation of
the provisions of the programme within a short time.

Kirakosyan said that cooperation with NATO and Armenia’s participation
in the IPAP programme and the Partnership for Peace programme are an
important element of the country’s security system.

He also stressed the importance of expanding political dialogue with
NATO, carrying out relevant reforms in the defence system and devising
a national security conception.

The sides also stressed the importance of informing the wider
public of NATO’s purposes and policies, especially of cooperation
between Armenia and NATO. The deputy foreign minister touched on the
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and the current status
of Armenian-Turkish relations.

[Passage omitted: Simmons took part in IPAP implementation commission
meeting]