Armenian President and NATO Secretary General discuss operations and joint partnership
On 25 May, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met with Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at NATO Headquarters, where they discussed missions and operations, NATO-Armenia relations and regional issues.
In speaking to the press after their meeting, the Secretary General thanked Armenia for its support to operations in Afghanistan and the Balkans. He said that 2010 is a key year for the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, focusing on transitioning to an increased Afghan lead role in the security field.
Mr Fogh Rasmussen also repeated his call for more training resources: “We either generate more trainers to support the Afghan security forces and underpin NATO’s transition strategy, or we prepare ourselves to stay longer in Afghanistan.”
Mr Fogh Rasmussen commended Armenia on progress in implementing defence reforms under its Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO. But these reforms, he said, “must go hand in hand with political reforms and democratic institution building.”
He underlined the Alliance’s desire to deepen cooperation with Armenia within the IPAP framework.