Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian on December 18 received NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, the foreign ministry told Armenpress. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The parties exchanged views on the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan, NATO's support for defense reforms in Armenia.

Mrs. Gottemoeller hailed the participation of Armenian peacekeeping brigades in the NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, attached importance to the development of new capacities, the joint efforts targeted at improving cooperation, collaboration in military education and other directions.

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Armenia has been a peacekeeping contributor to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan since 2004. The Presidents also met recently in Vienna.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

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