NATO deputy chief, Armenian FM meet on military cooperation

YEREVAN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met here Monday with visiting NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller for discussions on military cooperation, including solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to a statement posted on the official website of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, a number of issues were touched upon during the meeting, including peaceful solution of the decades-old Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The NATO deputy chief arrived in Yerevan on the occasion of the 11th NATO Week taking place on Dec. 13-18 in the country within the scope of the Armenia-NATO Individual Action Plan.

During a joint press brief following the meeting, Nalbandian said the two sides highlighted "the importance of continuity of high-level political dialogues and regular contacts."

While expressing thanks to the Armenian side, Gottemoeller said NATO and Armenia have cooperated successfully during the last 25 years.

Armenia has been a peacekeeping contributor to NATO missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan since 2004. The country also participated in U.N. missions in southern Lebanon more recently.

Armenia and Azerbaijan -- two former Soviet states -- have been locked in a dispute over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988, when the enclave dominated by ethnic Armenians claimed independence from Azerbaijan and declared to join Armenia.

Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a ceasefire agreement was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes. Enditem