On November 11, the session within the format of the NATO Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee + Armenia was held at the NATO Headquarters. The session was chaired by James Appathurai, the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia. The Armenian delegation was headed by Ashot Hovakimian, Deputy Foreign Minister, and Davit Tonoyan, First Deputy Minister of Defense. During the session the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) Assessment Report for 2015-2016 was discussed.
In his remarks Deputy Foreign Minister Hovakimian touched upon the Armenia-NATO political dialogue and partnership cooperation in various areas, as well as reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to continue the participation of the Armenian peacekeepers in peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan during 2017. Ashot Hovakimian presented the ongoing political and economic reforms in Armenia, the preparatory works ahead the 2017 parliamentary elections, as well as the efforts being exerted to create conductive conditions for the advancement of the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh peaceful settlement.
The First Deputy Defence Minister Davit Tonoyan presented the main results of the Strategic Defence Review, implemented this year, attached importance to the further development of existing joint programmes and formats in the areas of military cooperation, defense education and reforms.
The initiatives aimed at the enhancement of building integrity in the Armed Forces and human rights, strengthening of the fight against corruption, expansion of public and civil control over the Armed Forces were presented as a priority of the defense policy for the coming years, as well. The Defense reforms and the review of defense legislation will be implemented within the logic of reviewing the Armed Forces as a factor fostering the development of economy, education and science.
Upon the request of participants of the session, the Armenian side presented the situation along the Line of Contact between the Armed Forces of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Azerbaijan, the consequences of the April aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan along the Line of Contact with Artsakh and steps being taken to overcome those consequences.
In their remarks the representatives of delegations of the NATO member-states highly appreciated Armenia’s cooperation with the Alliance in all the fields. The delegates expressed their support to the efforts being exerted by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict while attaching importance to the settlement of the conflict based on three principles, which serve as a basis of negotiations: non-use of force or the threat of using force, equal rights and self-determination of peoples and territorial integrity.
Ashot Hovakimian and Davit Tonoyan also answered to numerous questions of the representatives of delegations of the NATO member states.
Following the session the Armenian delegation was received by Rose Gottemoeller, the NATO Deputy Secretary-General. During the meeting issues related to the further development of the Armenia-NATO political dialogue were discussed.
The sides also touched upon regional issues. In particular, the Armenian side drew the attention of the NATO’s top official to the escalation of situation by Azerbaijan along the Line of Contact with Artsakh, on the eve of holding large-scale military drills by Azerbaijan.
Then, Deputy Foreign Minister Ashot Hovakimian and First Deputy Defence Minister Davit Tonoyan met with Ambassador Alejandro Alvargonzález, Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy. During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed steps towards the going dialogue within the framework of Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan /IPAP/. Alejandro Alvargonzalez expressed support to the implementation of measures for the further deepening of cooperation within the new IPAP.