PanARMENIAN.Net

NATO going to persuade Baku to join organization?
16.02.2007 15:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The NATO assessment team is in Baku
to watch the process of Baku’s meeting commitments in
the framework of the Individual Partnership Action
Plan. As reported by Zerkalo (Mirror) newspaper with a
reference to diplomatic sources, the leaders of the
organization have been persuading Azerbaijan to issue
accession bid to NATO for the recent 6 months, however
in vain. The mission was entrusted to NATO Secretary
General Personal Representative for the South Caucasus
Robert Simmons, who paid a visit to Azerbaijan in
October 2006. Nevertheless, Upon completion of his
visit to Baku Simmons did not even conceal he failed
to clarify the NATO-Azerbaijan relations on whole
scope of substantial issues. `I am hopeful that during
the visit to Brussels Azeri President Ilham Aliyev
will be furnished irrefragable answers to all his
questions,’ said Simmons at that time.

In early November Ilham Aliyev visited Brussels and
was reported to have held efficient talks with NATO
and EU leadership. However, Azerbaijan has not issued
an accession bid to NATO, which seems to abide by the
slogan `there is no time to be lost.’ To all
appearance NATO representatives decided to operate out
in the open. `As we already said Azerbaijan is not
engaged in accession talks. We efficiently cooperate
within the IPAP that is sufficient for present time,’
said a NATO official on Azerbaijan adding that the
republic doesn’t wish to enter the next stage of
cooperation yet.