AzerTag, Azerbaijan
July 28, 2006
DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS WITH HEAD OF OKLAHOMA NATIONAL GUARD
[July 28, 2006, 13:50:12]
Azerbaijan Minister of Defense Colonel-General Safar Abiyev met July
27 with a U.S. delegation let by Major General Harry Wyatt, the Head
of Oklahoma National Guard.
The Minister said Azerbaijan- U.S. military cooperation is already of
strategic character. `The foundation for this cooperation was laid
during the official visit by national leader Heydar Aliyev to
Washington, D.C. in July of 1997,’ he said.
Colonel-General Abiyev continued that the Azerbaijan- U.S. military
cooperation enhanced after the waiver of the section 907 of the
Freedom Support Act. He said: `Azerbaijan continues to succeed in
bilateral cooperation with the North-Atlantic alliance. We highly
value the role of USA in development of this cooperation. Azeri
troops are actively involved in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo,
Afghanistan and Iraq.’
The Minister described the current military and political situation
in the South Caucasus as extremely tense. `Solution to the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has not yet been
found. Activity of the OSCE Minsk group dealing with the problem is
unsatisfactory. We want the conflict to be settled on the basis of
the international legal norms and territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan, and demand withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from
the occupied territories,’ he said. The Colonel-General called
Armenia’s behavior as inadequate to the current state of affairs.
`Given the existing situation, Azerbaijan has to take adequate
steps,’ he said.
Major General Harry Wyatt praised Azerbaijan’s involvement in the
fight against global terror that, he added will be more active with
the country’s growing economy.
The General welcomed cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO under
the Individual Partnership Plan, and the country’s intention to be a
democratic and secular state.
Touching on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict,
General Wyatt confirmed that the U.S. has been supporting territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan, and wants it to be resolved in diplomatic
way.
The sides also exchange views on the prospects of the Azerbaijan-US
military y cooperation.
The meeting was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Derse.