Baku, Azerbaijan, April 20
Trend:
Smuggling of nuclear components from Armenia becomes a serious security threat not only on a regional, but also on a broader scale, acting Azerbaijan’s defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov said April 20 in Baku at a meeting with the delegation led by Curtis Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Command Operations.
He also touched upon the issue of arms sales to Azerbaijan.
“Our country pursues peaceful policy and conducts a constant fight against terrorism, but some countries impose unfounded restrictions on the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan,” Hasanov said.
Hasanov, noting the successful development of military ties with NATO, spoke about military cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Alliance, activity of the Azerbaijani army as part of various programs, as well as Azerbaijan’s contribution to the non-combat Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
Touching upon the military-political situation in the region, Zakir Hasanov stressed the importance of achieving a solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the norms of international law.
Hasanov noted that the visits of representatives of the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh to various foreign states, including the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and their methods in these countries lead to application of double standards in the settlement of the conflict, which is unacceptable.
Highly appreciating NATO’s position regarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, Hasanov expressed confidence that the Alliance will continue to provide assistance in this direction.
In turn, Curtis Scaparrotti, noting in particular that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of the Alliance, highly appreciated Azerbaijan’s participation in the fight against terrorism, significant contribution to the provision of air space to cargo transportation for peacekeeping operations, including high professionalism of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Afghanistan.
He expressed gratitude to the leadership of Azerbaijan for assisting in holding a meeting with Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, in Baku.