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11
Denmark
1949
12
Iceland
1949
13
Turkey
1952
14
Greece 1952
15
Germany 1955
16
Spain
1982
17
Hungary
1999
18
Czech Republic
1999
19
Poland
1999
20
Romania
2004
21
Bulgaria
2004
22
Slovakiq
2004
23
Sloveniq
2004
24
Lithuania
2004
25
Latvia
2004
26
Estonia
2004
27
Albania
2009
28
Croatia
2009
Secretaries-General of NATO
Number           Name             
  Countries   
 
 
Years of
 
 
 
 
 
 
  represented                        administration 
1
Lord Ismay
United Kingdom
1952 - 1957
2
Paul-Henri Spaak
Belgium
1957 - 1961
3
Dirk Stikker
Netherlands
1961 - 1964
4
Manlio Brosio
Italy
1964 - 1971
5
Joseph Luns
Netherlands
1971 - 1984
6
Lord Carrington
United Kingdom
1984 - 1988
7
Manfred Wörner
Germany
1988 - 1994
8
Willy Claes
Belgium
1994 - 1995
9
Javier Solana
Spain
1995 - 1999
10
George Robertson
United Kingdom
1999 - 2003
11
Jaap de Hoop Scheff er
Netherlands
2004 - 2009
12
Anders Fogh Rasmussen Denmark
2009 
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Protection of the territorial integrity and citizens is one of the main demands 
of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaij an. The Conception of National 
Security of the Republic of Azerbaij an, which is confi rmed by the President Il-
ham Aliyev in May 2007, states: “Any kind of development of military-political 
and military-technical relations and cooperation for strengthening the defense 
ability of the country are of great importance. Integration with the Euro-Atlan-
tic security system, creation of NATO-level military operational forces, partici-
pation in international peacekeeping response operations for the elimination 
of crises are considered the main directions of the defence policy of the Repub-
lic of Azerbaij an.”
Azerbaij ani-NATO relations started their formation in March 1992, with the 
admission of Azerbaij an to its body, the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. 
The Azerbaij ani delegation fi rst participated in the seminar of the NATO coun-
tries held in Turkey in October 1992, and met Secretary-General of NATO Man-
fred Wörner. 
The Azerbaij ani delegation participated at the conference on the issues of 
European security held in Brussels in February 1993. 
A high-level cooperation between Azerbaij an and NATO was founded in 
1994. During his visit to Brussels on May 4, 1994, the Azerbaij ani  President 
Heydar Aliyev signed the "Partnership for Peace Program" (PfP) on coopera-
tion of NATO with former Soviet republics. 
In his speech in the ceremony of the signature of the agreement, Heydar 
Aliyev stated:  “We met with great pleasure the invitation of NATO calling the 
Eastern European and former Soviet countries to join the document of Partner-
ship for Peace; we have come here with hopes, and we are ready to sign the 
document "Partnership for Peace.”
Normal conditions for the development of relations between NATO and 
Azerbaij an have been founded since then. During his next visit to Brussels on 
April 23, 1996, Heydar Aliyev presented the Secretary-General of NATO Javier 
Solana the document of Azerbaij an for joining the "Partnership for Peace” pro-
gram.
Heydar Aliyev met Javier Solana in next years, during Solana`s visits to Baku 
in February 1997 and in September 1998, and during Aliyev`s visit to the US in 
Azerbaij ani-NATO Relations
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July 1997. Development of the cooperation between Azerbaij an and NATO was 
the main issue of discussions during the meetings. 
In July 1997 Azerbaij an joined NATO`s another body, the Euro-Atlantic Part-
nership Council. Unlike the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, this structure 
of NATO provides for passing to practical steps from discussions and consul-
tations in the framework of PFP. In the same year Azerbaij an joined the Plan-
ning and Review Process (PARP) of the organization, which was a new stage 
of mutual cooperation. This process provides defense planning, correct use 
of resources. On November 14, 1997, with the decree of the President Heydar 
Aliyev, a commission on cooperation with NATO, att ached to the President of 
Azerbaij an, was established. In 1997 the Azerbaij ani mission started its activity 
in the NATO headquarters in Brussels, too. 
On April 26, 1999, the Azerbaij ani President Heydar Aliyev participated in 
the summit dedicated to the 50th anniversary of NATO. In his speech Heydar 
Aliyev emphasized the role of NATO in the world: “We appreciate the role of 
NATO in ensuring peace and security in the world and consider it as an impor-
tant means of the European security.”
In 1999 Azerbaij an sent a military unit to Kosovo in order to take part in the 
peacekeeping activities of NATO. 
In January 2001, the new Secretary-General of NATO George Robertson vis-
ited Baku. In his meeting with the Secretary-General, President Heydar Aliyev 
mentioned Azerbaij an`s interest in the development of relations with NATO. 
George Robertson thanked Heydar Aliyev for the participation of the Azerbai-
jani military unit in the peacekeeping activities in Kosovo. 
In 2002 Heydar Aliyev took part and made a speech in the summit of the Eu-
ro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In his speech Heydar Aliyev spoke about the 
Nagorno-Karabakh confl ict between Armenia and Azerbaij an and stated that 
its sett lement is important for all the countries. In the same year an Azerbaij ani 
military unit joined the NATO peace building forces in Afghanistan. 
Following the political course of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, his suc-
cessor President Ilham Aliyev att aches great importance to the development 
of cooperation with NATO. A number of meetings Ilham Aliyev had with the 
NATO authorities prove it. 
In 2004 in Brussels the Azerbaij ani President submitt ed to the NATO authori-
ties the fi rst Individual Partnership Operation Plan. The Individual Partnership 
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