NATO envoy visits Caucasus
The NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, Robert Simmons, visited Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia from 24 to 28 September for political consultations with senior government officials and parliamentarians. He also introduced NATO's newly appointed Liaison Officer to the region, Zbigniew Rybacki, to the authorities in the three countries.
During his visit to Yerevan, Armenia, on 24 and 25 September, Robert Simmons met the foreign minister, the deputy defence minister, a number of parliamentarians, and the head of the rescue service. They discussed implementation of Armenia's Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and defence reforms, as well as Armenian participation in NATO-led operations and practical cooperation in a number of other areas.
While in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 26 and 27 September, the Special Representative met the deputy ministers for foreign affairs, defence, the interior, and Euro-Atlantic integration. The main topics of discussion were Georgia's progress in the reforms set out in its IPAP and the ongoing Intensified Dialogue on the country's membership aspirations.
Visiting Baku, Azerbaijan, on 27 and 28 September, Robert Simmons met the president, defence minister, the deputy speaker of parliament, the minister for national security, and the head of border security. They discussed implementation of Azerbaijan's IPAP and defence reforms, as well as the country's participation in NATO-led operations and practical cooperation in a number of other areas. The Special Representative was also invited to participate in a session of the government commission on cooperation with NATO.
The Allies decided to appoint a Special Representative to the strategically important regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia at the Istanbul Summit in June 2004. Robert Simmons is the first to be given this responsibility. His role is to maintain high-level working contacts with regional leaders in support of NATO’s objectives in the region, namely promoting regional security and furthering NATO cooperation programmes there.
He works closely with regional officials as well as with colleagues in other relevant organizations such as the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to guarantee that communication is ongoing and work is done in a complementary fashion. His work in the Caucasus and Central Asia is supported by two liaison officers, one based in each region. Each liaison officer works directly in an advisory role with relevant government authorities on achieving the reform goals set out in their partnership programmes with NATO.