BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 9. Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has met with the Chief of Staff of NATO Allied Land Command, Lieutenant General Mustafa Oghuz, who is paying an official visit to Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend.
The Turkish guest first visited the graves of heroic Azerbaijani sons, who became martyrs for the independence and territorial integrity of the country, and the Turkish Martyrs' Cemetery erected in honor of the Turkish soldiers fallen in 1918. The official paid tribute to their memory and flowers were laid.
Then the meeting took place at the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Welcoming the guest, Colonel General Hasanov expressed satisfaction to see him in Azerbaijan.
First, the Azerbaijani defense minister noted that he shares the pain of the relatives of victims who died as a result of the powerful earthquake in Türkiye, extended his deepest condolences to their families and wished recovery to all the wounded. Saying that “Your grief is our grief too”, the minister emphasized that Azerbaijan always stands by the fraternal country.
Then Colonel General Hasanov informed the guest about the reforms carried out in the Azerbaijan Army under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the work done in the liberated territories, as well as the current situation on the Azerbaijan-Armenia conditional state border and the Karabakh economic region.
Speaking of the achievements in cooperation with NATO, the minister noted the importance of further developing mutual relations.
Lieutenant General Mustafa Oghuz expressed his gratitude for the support provided after the earthquake. He prayed for mercy to the military servicemen of the Azerbaijan Army who became martyrs as a result of the provocation committed by illegal Armenian formations on the morning of March 5 and expressed condolences to their families.
Noting the current state of cooperation with Azerbaijan, the Chief of Staff of the NATO LANDCOM expressed his satisfaction with the positive results achieved in this field.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that Azerbaijan-NATO military cooperation is of special importance within the Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC).
In the end, the sides exchanged opinions on the development prospects of bilateral relations, as well as other issues of mutual interest.