YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues related to military cooperation of Armenia and NATO, the establishment of international security and stability, the participation of the Armenian armed forces in NATO operations, the Nagorno Karabakh problem settlement, and regional developments in the context of possible normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations were discussed at the November 6 meeting of RA Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanian and the NATO Secretary General's Special Representative to the South Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons. R. Simmons expressed satisfaction at the Armenian armed forces's willingness to take part in the operations of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, saying that it will improve cooperation of the Armenian armed forces with NATO and contribute to the formation of similar approaches to the problems of international security and stability in South Caucasian countries. The sides stressed the importance of efforts on establishing diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey and opening the borders, saying that these efforts will undoubtedly strengthen the security and stability in the region. As regards the Karabakh conflict settlement process, R. Simmons said that the political leadership of NATO views the problem's resolution only within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, ruling out the use of force. According to the Information and PR Department of the RA Ministry of Defence, the interlocutors also addressed such issues as the development of peacekeeping capacities of the RA, reforms in its military education system, the introduction of the institution of civil servants in the RA Ministry of Defence, involvement of partner states in the preparation of the new strategic concept of NATO, and other issues.

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