The NATO Secretary General welcomed President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday 14 December for talks on the Alliance’s partnership with Azerbaijan, and on the security situation in the South Caucasus region. President Aliyev also met with the 30 Allied ambassadors in the North Atlantic Council.
![The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev visits NATO and meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg](https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pictures/images_mfu/2021/12/211214a-visit-azeri-presid/211214a-007_rdax_775x440.jpg)
The Secretary General emphasised the strong cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan, noting that “today it covers many areas, from capability development to energy security.” He thanked the President for the contribution his country made to NATO’s former operation in Afghanistan and the important role played by Azeri forces in providing security at Kabul Airport during this summer’s evacuation.
The Secretary General addressed the situation in the region, stating that “security and stability in the South Caucasus is important for all of us. To ensure a peaceful future for all people, we support the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which are both valued partners to NATO”.