Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.12
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
The US views Azerbaijan as a core partner in the global fight against terrorism, Laura Cooper, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense of the US, told reporters in Baku Oct. 12.
"I have come from Pentagon focusing on how we can deepen US-Azerbaijan strategic partnership. From our prospective in Washington, we view Azerbaijan as a core partner in the global fight against terrorism,” she said.
“We also greatly appreciate operating alongside Azerbaijan forces in the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. We were working together to support the Afghan government in bringing stability to that country.”
“This is just my first official visit to Azerbaijan, but I am looking forward to a future visit where we can continue to work on deepening our strategic partnership and our defense cooperation," she added.
Cooper noted that she had very useful and productive discussions with Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Presidential Administration and Border Security Service officials.
“One of the highlights of the discussions was my ability to talk about the US South Asia strategy," she said.
Cooper pointed out that the US is renewing its commitment to Afghanistan security.
“It was my pleasure to discuss this strategic approach with the strategic partner like Azerbaijan and talk about our mutual deployments in Afghanistan,” she added.