Azerbaijan: Baku Wants Security Guarantees from NATO

A senior Azerbaijani official said that Russia's invasion of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aspirant Georgia means that Azerbaijan needs security guarantees from NATO in exchange for its partnership with the Alliance.

"A new bilateral agreement must be signed [between NATO and Azerbaijan] that will bind both sides to commitments and will provide security guarantees as events in Georgia have shown that verbal guarantees are not enough," Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told a November 19 conference on relations between NATO and its partners, the Kavkazsky Uzel news website reported.

Some NATO members are reportedly pushing for fast-track membership for Azerbaijan, which has recently stepped up its official interest in NATO cooperation. The energy-rich state has agreed to increase the number of peacekeeping troops it sends for NATO operations in Afghanistan to 90, and also to provide transit for non-military supplies related to the NATO campaign.