BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 26. On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the creation of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the 100th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev, the Azerbaijani mission to NATO has organized an official reception and photo exhibition at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, the Azerbaijan's representation to NATO told Trend.
The event was attended by NATO Assistant Secretary General, ambassadors of NATO member countries and partners to the alliance, military representatives, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the international Staff of NATO and the International military staff, high-ranking officials of the Supreme General Staff of the Allied Forces of NATO in Europe (SHAPE), as well as NATO Support and Supply Agencies.
Head of the Azerbaijani mission to NATO Jafar Huseynzada and Military representative of the Armed Forces to the military Committee of the alliance, Colonel Aghaverdi Guliyev spoke about the way of creation and development of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, as well as about partnership relations with NATO.
The guests were informed about the historical merits of national leader Heydar Aliyev in building an army and developing cooperation with NATO. Thanks to the far-sighted policy of national leader Heydar Aliyev and the successful continuation of this activity by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has one of the strongest armies in the region, which is the most striking indicator of the victory of the Azerbaijani army as a result of the Second Karabakh War of 2020 and the restoration of territorial integrity.
In his speech, the head of the mission also drew attention to the multifaceted partnership of Azerbaijan with NATO, the activities within the framework of NATO peacekeeping operations, including operations in Afghanistan, and the contribution to the energy security of Europe.
The main speaker from the NATO side was Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee, Lieutenant General Lars Landrum. The NATO representative said that Azerbaijan is a reliable and long-standing partner of the Alliance.
He noted that Azerbaijan occupies a leading position in relations with NATO within the framework of political dialogue, military-practical partnership and strengthening military readiness.
Landrum also said that the Allied states highly appreciate Azerbaijan's support and contribution to the Alliance's peacekeeping operations, especially in the critical evacuation from International Kabul Airport.
In his speech, attention was paid to the possibilities of cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO in a number of areas, including on the issue of dialogue in the field of energy security.