On 21-22 January 2025, NATO's Deputy Secretary General, Radmila Shekerinska, visited Azerbaijan. She met Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Speaker of the Parliament Sahiba Gafarova, and Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov.
They took stock of Azerbaijan's partnership with NATO, and shared views on a range of topics of common interest, including the normalisation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and NATO's role supporting stability across the Black Sea region.
Ms. Shekerinska welcomed Azerbaijan's long-standing partnership with NATO, as attested to by over three decades of political dialogue and practical cooperation in areas of mutual benefit, including military interoperability and defence education. She reiterated NATO's appreciation for Azerbaijan's participation in past NATO-led missions in Afghanistan. The Deputy Secretary General praised Azerbaijan's contributions to Europe's energy independence, including that of Ukraine, and underscored that gas exports have bolstered the energy independence of several NATO Allies, especially since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She stressed that NATO stands ready to further its political dialogue and cooperation with Azerbaijan, and to continue to assist Azerbaijan with its security and defence reforms, including by finalising an Individually Tailored Partnership Programme between NATO and Azerbaijan (ITPP). The ITPP is a multi-year programme which will provide Azerbaijan with access to different partnership activities, including in defence education modernisation, demining, human security, Building Integrity, countering information threats, and cyber defence. It will also allow for enhanced support to NATO's missions and operations.
Ms. Shekerinska announced that NATO has appointed a new Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, who is expected to take up his duties soon.
During her visit, the NATO Deputy Secretary General also met students at ADA University and with experts and representatives of the national think-tank community, as well as with Allied Ambassadors.
