The Secretary General thanked Armenia for its contributions to NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. He stressed that the Alliance is committed to working with Armenia and other partners.

“Together, we are developing a new Individual Partnership Action Plan, tailored to your needs and requirements,” said Mr. Stoltenberg.

He added that there are opportunities for further cooperation on interoperability, defence reform and defence education. The Secretary General praised Armenia for its participation in NATO’s Building Integrity Programme to counter corruption in the armed forces, and its progress on implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to promote the role of women in peace and security.

The Secretary General and President Sargsyan also discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Mr. Stoltenberg expressed concern over the continuing violence along the line of contact.

“It is important to avoid escalation, because there is no military solution to this conflict and its persistence is holding back the region,” he said. NATO encourages both Armenia and Azerbaijan to return to the negotiating table and work toward a peaceful resolution to the conflict.