Azerbaijan's possible NATO membership is not on agenda, NATO Secretary General's Special Envoy for the South Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai told media in Baku on Thursday.

Attending the inauguration of a joint mine clearance project implemented by Azerbaijan and NATO near the country's north-west border with Georgia, Appathurai said the issue on Azerbaijan's membership to NATO was not on agenda and expressed concern over the recent tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the frontline.

He underlined that NATO supported the efforts of the OSCE Minsk group on the settlement of the conflict. "NATO is not involved directly in the negotiation process, however, it supports all efforts in this direction," he said.

"We will continue our cooperation with Azerbaijan. Azeri soldiers are actively involved in military operations in Afghanistan, and we regard it as Azerbaijan's contribution to the NATO mission," said Appathurai.

NATO-Azerbaijan partnership dates back to 1992, when Azerbaijan joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (later renamed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997). Bilateral relations were given a significant impetus in 1996, when Azerbaijan joined NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) Program. Currently, in accordance with this program, Azerbaijan implements about 50 partner tasks.