October 20, 2005 - 14:39 AMT
Unification of Yerevan, Tbilisi and Baku - Advance towards Consolidation of Euro-Atlantic Security
"Armenia is dynamically developing within the NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan," NATO Officer-Coordinator for the South Caucasus Romualdas Razuks stated during International Conference titled "Between the Caspian and Black Seas: New Challenges and Possibilities for the South Caucasus, organized by "Center for Strategic Analysis SPECTRUM". In his words, Georgia, Azerbaijani and Armenia have launched the Individual Partnership Action Plan process and it is a very important factor, since for the first time in NATO history the three republics have admitted the same rules of play, the standards and changes in the army and society. He informed that during the Istanbul Summit the alliance decided on strengthening its influence in the regions starting with the Caucasus and Central Asia. For this purpose NATO appointed two Officer-Coordinators and a special representative for the two regions. Mr. Razuks added that the "Individual Partnership Action Plan is the principal one implemented in the South Caucasus and is divided into several branches: political, administrative, defense, scientific and public information. Besides, he noted the importance of the Plan within the context of war on terror. "The NATO Partnership Policy develops covering new regions and establishing new priorities and strategic targets for strengthening security and stability. The South Caucasus was declared NATO's geographical priority", Romualdas Razuks said. In his words, new methods of partnership and cooperation schemes are being introduced into the Individual Partnership Action Plans. Completing his speech he stated that the unification of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan within the IPAP is an advance towards the consolidation of the Euro-Atlantic security.