Slovak Embassy in Baku Becomes NATO Contact Embassy in Azerbaijan

Bratislava/Baku, January 2 (TASR) - The Slovak Embassy in Baku became the contact point embassy of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) in Azerbaijan on January 1, 2025, with a two-year mandate to be carried out jointly with Sweden, as reported by the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry's communications department on Thursday. According to the ministry, this step proves that Slovakia is a respected ally in NATO. "During our 20 years of membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, Slovakia has acted as a contact point embassy several times. With this mandate, we can provide our foreign policy expertise, support the development of political dialogue within the Alliance, and at the same time, confirm our efforts to develop bilateral relations with Azerbaijan," said Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD), adding that contact point embassies are not a formal diplomatic mission of NATO, but they are important missions and part of the promotion of partnership policy. NATO contact point embassies are a network of Allied embassies that assist the Alliance in public diplomacy and practical cooperation in partner countries. Their role is primarily to communicate with the professional and general public with a focus on Alliance policy, as well as to provide logistical support for military exercises and official visits. lin/mcs