16 Dec. 2005

NATO and South Caucasus partners intensify cooperation Background Individual Partnership Action Plans On 16 December 2005, Armenia became the third partner country to agree an Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO, following Georgia and Azerbaijan. The IPAP is a comprehensive plan that sets out political and defence reform objectives and the assistance that NATO and individual Allies intend to provide to help achieve them. Stepping up cooperation It provides for enhanced political dialogue between NATO and the relevant country, as well as intensified practical cooperation including expert advice, training of staff and officers, and participation in NATO operations. “We are pleased to see that all three South Caucasus partner countries now have agreed IPAPs with NATO,” said NATO Spokesman James Appathurai, “This reflects the 2004 Istanbul Summit decisions to place a special focus on the strategically important regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia . ” The approval of the Plan by the North Atlantic Council and Armenia follows several months of consultations between NATO and Armenian authorities. After Georgia (2004) and Azerbaijan (2005), Armenia is the third partner country that has agreed an IPAP with NATO. IPAPs with Moldova and Kazakhstan are under development. Armenia has been a NATO partner country since 1994.