NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is touring three Nato partner countries in the Caucasus, two of them divided by warfare - with two NATO member states backing each of the belligerents.
Stoltenberg started his three-day tour on Sunday in Azerbaijan, host of the upcoming Cop 29, the UN climate change summit.
In a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, he stressed the need to fight global warming, and called climate change a "crisis multiplier" with implications for global security.
Praising energy-rich Azerbaijan for its "important role in delivering (natural) gas to key NATO allies," Stoltenberg said "the challenge is that the world needs energy, but at the same time we need to fight global warming."
"We need to reconcile the need for energy and environment," he said, adding that "climate change matters for security, matters for NATO."
But he also mentioned the conflict with Armenia, saying that "there is now a possibility to achieve lasting peace" after Aliev said that both countries were "currently in the active phase of peace negotiations."
In September, Azerbaijan's army entered Nagorno-Kharabakh, an enclave that was self-ruled by the majority Armenian population, and after a short bombing campaign, drove out all Armenians, claiming the territory for itself.
France's Armenia puzzle
The situation is causing a diplomatic headache for NATO-member France. Traditionally friendly towards Armenia because of a substantial Armenian diaspora community, Paris has offered military and humanitarian aid to Yerevan.
As a result, Azerbaijan condemned what it called "provocative declarations" of French politicians "against Azerbaijan", which they said, had been stirred up by a "campaign of lies and manipulation by Armenia"
Things are complicated further by France's recognistion, in 2001, of the 1915 Armenian genocide, invoking the wrath of NATO-member Turkey, whose Ottoman Empire, was responsible for the massacres.
In 2019, France for the first time officially commomorated the Armenian genocide, drawing angry reactions from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, saying that Paris "manipulates history."
Turkey also backs Armenia's arch-enemy Azerbaijan militarily in its war against Armenia.
While Paris clearly took sides in the stand-off, NATO as a whole officially "has no direct role in negotiations aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," according to its website.
Accordingly Stoltenberg repeated in Yerevan on Tuesday what he had said in Baku in Sunday:that both sides should sign a peace deal "paving the way for normalisation of relations".
Sea Guardian
Neither Azerbaijan nor Armenia are on an official track to join the Alliance, but Georgia, visited by Stoltenberg on Monday, is one step ahead of its two Caucasian neighbours.
The country, "one of NATO's closest partners" wants to join the Alliance. In line with NATO policy, Stoltenberg called on Tbilisi to consolidate democratic reforms.
"NATO stands by your side as you continue your path towards stronger democracy and full Euro-Atlantic integration, including the 2008 Bucharest decision that Georgia will become a member of NATO alliance," he said during a joint press conference with Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Georgia's bid started at a 2008 summit in the Romanian capital Bucharest, when NATO leaders granted Georgia an "integration perspective," without putting it on a formal membership path.
Since, the country has taken part in joint training exercises and the NATO led Sea Guardian operation in the Mediterranean.
