The Academic Conference on the 30th Anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Joining NATO’s Partnership for Peace Programme (PfP) was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing together officials, academics, researchers and experts from Azerbaijan, NATO, Allied and Partner countries.

The conference was dedicated to reviewing the achievements of the PfP, highlighting Azerbaijan's unique role as a reliable and predictable partner, discussing future prospects for Azerbaijan-NATO relations.

Within the framework of the conference, topics such as the origins and the intent of PfP, achievements of Azerbaijan within the PfP framework, and the future prospects for NATO's partnerships were discussed.

On the sidelines of the conference, representatives from NATO headed by the NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Burcu San were received by the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, Hikmat Hajiyev.

Within the framework of the meeting, issues related to the Azerbaijan-NATO partnership, practical cooperation, humanitarian demining, energy security, protection of critical infrastructure, climate change, and illegal migration and drug trafficking in the context of border security were discussed. Additionally, Hikmat Hajiyev informed the NATO delegation about the matters related to the regional security and the normalization process with Armenia, as well as the current status of the peace agreement.

Hikmat Hajiyev also expressed the gratitude of the Azerbaijani side for the high-level participation of NATO at the COP-29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Burcu San expressed her gratitude for Azerbaijan’s contribution to the NATO-led operations and to the energy security of the Allied Nations. In this context, it was particularly noted that the last partner contingent that was pulled back from Afghanistan was Azerbaijan’s peacekeeping force, which provided critical support for the evacuation process.

NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General congratulated Azerbaijan for the successful completion of COP-29.

The representatives from NATO headed by the NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Burcu San also held a meeting with Colonel Elchin Abdullayev, Head of the Department of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

During the discussions, Azerbaijan was noted as a reliable partner of NATO for its contributions to the NATO-led operations and to the energy security of the Allied nations. Within the scope of the meeting, issues related to Azerbaijan-NATO partnership, opportunities on future cooperation and other matters of mutual interest were discussed. 

The Head of the Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to NATO, J.Huseynzada also participated in the meetings.