Baku, November 26, AZERTAC
Azerbaijan`s Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has met with a delegation led by Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach.
Highlighting the 25-year sustainable cooperation between Azerbaijan and the North Atlantic Alliance, Minister Hasanov noted the development of these relations, the activities of the Azerbaijan Army in various programs and Azerbaijan`s contribution to the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
Touching upon the military-political situation in the region, Colonel General Hasanov recalled NATO`s political support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, stressed that this serves to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security and is also important for regional peace and stability, as well as expressed confidence that the Alliance will continue its efforts in this issue.
Noting that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of Alliance, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach hailed the participation of the country in the fight against terrorism, its significant contribution in providing airspace to cargo transportation for peacekeeping operations, including the high level of professionalism of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Afghanistan and highlighted the active participation of Azerbaijani servicemen in many programs of the Alliance, as well as the level of readiness of Azerbaijani officers undergoing service at various NATO headquarters.
Sir Stuart Peach, noting that NATO supports the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, stressed that the Alliance is in favor of a peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The chairman of the NATO Military Committee expressed gratitude to the leadership of Azerbaijan for the warm welcome and hospitality, as well as for its assistance in holding a meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Baku.
During the meeting, the sides discussed issues of operational training, conducting exercises, the development of military education, the achievement of interoperability of troops within the framework of cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and NATO, and held a detailed exchange of views on the prospects for the development of cooperation and possible contribution of the country to the NATO mission in Iraq.