Azerbaijan, Baku, October 30 /Trend/
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel-General Safar Abiyev made a visit to The People's Republic of China on October 25-29. An official welcoming ceremony has been held during his visit, said in the report of Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan.
Abiyev met with Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, Colonel-General Chen Bingde on the first day of the visit. The sides discussed bilateral relations in the military-political sphere and the situation in the region. An exchange of views on cooperation in military education was held.
According to Abiyev, China is a friendly country for Azerbaijan, and one of the first to recognize the independence of our state.
Abiyev talked about the reasons of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and reported on the current state of affairs in this matter. He thanked China for its recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and for support, saying that Azerbaijan supports China in Taiwan issue.
Chen Bingde, in his turn, said that Azerbaijan has played the role of a bridge between Asia and Europe. According to him, China supports the transformation made by the Azerbaijani state in the country.
On the second day of his visit Abiyev met with the heads of Chinese companies NORİNCO and POLİ. Minister was reported on the activities of companies, the equipment they produce and the plans for the future.
Member of the State Council, China's Defense Minister, Colonel-General Liang Guanglie, who invited Safar Abiyev to visit the country, said that this visit will make a special contribution to the expansion of cooperation between the armed forces of both countries.
According to Abiyev, Azerbaijan is interested in bilateral cooperation with China. "Azerbaijan is constantly engaged in the fight against terrorist, separatist and extremist activities, and is an advocate of close cooperation with all countries in this direction", Abiyev said.
According to Abiyev, Azerbaijan's territory was subjected to occupation, but it will necessarily be released.
"If peace talks fail, Azerbaijan will use all opportunities, including military to restore the country's territorial integrity. Serious preparation work is being made in our Armed Forces for this", Abiyev said.
Then Abiyev visited China Air Force division 24, where he was informed about the history of the division, its current operational capability and structure.
On the last day of his visit Abiyev met with the deputy chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, colonel- general Xu Caihou. The sides discussed prospects of cooperation in military sphere. Abiyev thanked Caihou for the support, which China has provided to Azerbaijan in the sphere of military education. Issues of regional security and military-technical cooperation between the two countries were discussed at the meeting.
The fact that all Chinese officials expressed their support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan during the visit draws particular attention.