Elčin Gasymov: Azerbaijan eager to cooperate with NATO in protecting energy facilities

Azerbaijan has a long-standing interest in support for de-mining as well as the protection of critical energy infrastructure, including against terrorist attacks, Elčin Gasymov, Slovakia's Ambassador to Azerbaijan and one of the ambassadors heading NATO's contact point embassies in Azerbaijan in Baku, said in an interview with Report.

The ambassador said the cooperation between NATO and a partner country is very much demand-driven, and determined by both the priorities of the partner country and the Alliance's interests.

"Azerbaijan is a committed partner and cooperates with NATO Allies and other partner countries in many areas, including defence and related security sector reform, cyber security, and counterterrorism. Azerbaijan has a long-standing interest in support to de-mining as well as the protection of critical energy infrastructure, including against terrorist attacks," he said.

According to Gasymov, Azerbaijan also contributed significantly to NATO-led missions and operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and maintains a notable presence in NATO military structures through the Partnership Staff Posts initiative.

"In Azerbaijan, the Embassies of Slovakia and Sweden help NATO reach out to Azerbaijani audiences to explain what NATO is all about and what the benefits are of Azerbaijan's partnership with NATO. For example, we have facilitated several visits from NATO Headquarters and the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia (with a regional South Caucasus mandate). We note with great satisfaction that the number of such visits is steadily increasing. We have also helped organize a public diplomacy event at ADA University with Azerbaijani students and representatives of civil society, and we regularly share information about ongoing NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation, including the many activities conducted by NATO Mobile Training Teams in Azerbaijan," he stressed.

To further expand the partnership, NATO has decided to establish contact point embassies in Azerbaijan. For 2025–2026, the role of these missions is being carried out by the diplomatic representations of Sweden and Slovakia in Baku.

Read the full interview here.