NATO Continues Search for New Special Representative for Caucasus

The selection process for the NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia is still ongoing, said Tobias Lorentzson, Sweden's Ambassador to Azerbaijan and one of the ambassadors of the NATO Contact Point Embassies (CPE) in Baku.

The diplomat voiced hope that the alliance will soon have a new special representative in the South Caucasus region, The Caspian Post reports citing local media, The Caspian Post reports citing local media.

"The appointment will be an important opportunity to further strengthen NATO's partnership with Azerbaijan and the wider South Caucasus," Lorentzson added.

Slovakian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Elčin Gasymov also heads the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Baku. He noted that the Alliance is closely watching the current situation in the region.

"NATO welcomes the recent completion of negotiations on the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and looks forward to the treaty being signed and ratified. This is a significant step forward in the normalisation process and a boon to regional security," Gasymov said.

The position of Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia was established in 2004 following the NATO summit in Istanbul. The representative is responsible for implementing the Alliance"s policy in these strategically important regions, engaging with the governments of partner countries-Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-and coordinating cooperation programs.

The previous holder of the post, Javier Colomina, received a new appointment in July 2024 as NATO"s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood.

In 2025-2026, the functions of NATO Contact Point Embassies (CPE) in Azerbaijan are carried out by the diplomatic missions of Slovakia and Sweden.