BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 3
By Samir Ali – Trend:
Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov met with the delegation led by General Nadeem Raza, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on March 3, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.
The delegation is on an official visit to Azerbaijan.
First, the guests visited the Alley of Martyrs, where they laid wreaths and flowers at the graves of the heroic sons of the Motherland, who sacrificed their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of the country.
Then, an official welcoming ceremony was held at the Ministry of Defense.
The guest passed along the guard of honor, and the national anthems of both countries were played. General Nadeem Raza has signed the "Book of Honor" following the protocol.
During the meeting, the sides discussed the prospects for the development of cooperation between the two countries in the military, military-technical, military-educational, and other spheres.
The sides also expressed satisfaction with the development of traditional friendship and mutual trust between the peoples of the two countries, including Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations, as well as the level of strategic partnership.
The minister of defense noted that under the command of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh War ended with a glorious victory of the Azerbaijani troops and the Azerbaijani lands were liberated from the occupation.
The minister, having informed the guest about the successful military operations carried out by the Azerbaijani troops, stressed that the combat experience of the Azerbaijani troops gained in this war is being studied by the armies of many countries the world and the international military experts.
Expressing satisfaction with the development of Azerbaijan-Pakistan military cooperation, Hasanov thanked the leadership and people of Pakistan for supporting the fair position of Azerbaijan at all levels and within the international organizations, as well as for the humanitarian aid and moral support provided to Azerbaijan.
Noting that friendly relations between the leaders of the two countries play a significant role in the development of ties between our states, Hasanov stressed the importance of holding such meetings in terms of expanding mutual cooperation.
In turn, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan congratulated the Azerbaijani people on the victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh War and ensuring the territorial integrity of the country, wished the mercy of Allah Almighty to the souls of all servicemen and civilians who died as martyrs and healing to the wounded.
Noting that there are historically friendly ties between our peoples, General N. Raza stressed that these relations, as in other spheres, have made a great contribution to the development of bilateral military cooperation between the two countries.
Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome, General N. Raza once again brought to the attention that Pakistani specialists are ready to get involved in the process of clearance of the liberated territories of mines and unexploded ordnance. The General also noted that there is a wide potential for elevating the military cooperation of the two countries to a qualitatively new level.
The sides stressing that military ties meet the interests of both countries noted the necessity to increase efforts in this direction. During the discussions of the main areas of military cooperation, an exchange of views was held on conducting joint military exercises with the involvement of various types of troops, including Special Forces of Azerbaijani troops and Pakistani Armed Forces, organization of mutual visits of servicemen to exchange experience, as well as a number of other issues.
