On June 20, 2007, Minister Oskanian received Ambassador Robert Simmons, who is the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative in the South Caucasus.

Minister Oskanian welcomed Ambassador Simmons and stressed the importance of periodic political consultations with the Alliance in the spheres of foreign policy and security.

Minister Oskanian and Ambassador Simmons discussed the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) implementation progress. The ambassador praised work done by Armenia in the IPAP framework as well as by Armenian peacekeepers in Kosovo.

Minister Oskanian noted that IPAP is a comprehensive document and includes all the possible spheres for cooperation with the Alliance. At the same time the program is seen as a way of developing and strengthening the political dialogue with NATO. IPAP also serves as an important mechanism for strengthening bilateral relations with NATO member states.

Ambassador Simmons spoke on the recent regional developments in the security sphere, on the NATO – Russia dialogue and on the Alliance’s peacekeeping missions. He also talked about the results of the EAPC member states’ Ministers of Defense meeting in Brussels and the Alliance agenda for the coming months.

At the Ambassador’s request, Minister Oskanian spoke about recent developments in the Nagorno Karabakh peace process.