DM MEETS WITH NEW AMBASSADOR OF RUSSIA

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Aug. 9, 2006

Defense Minister Colonel-General Safar Abiyev met August 8 with the
newly appointed Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the
Russian Federation to Azerbaijan Vasiliy Istratov.

The Minister expressed Azerbaijan’s intention to continue cooperation
with Russia in many fields, including the military one. "Russia is
our historical neighbor. We should keep and develop traditions of
good neighborhood by all means. It was not by accident that it was
Baku that hosted the 50th anniversary session of the Council of the
CIS Defense Ministers.", he said.

Ambassador Vasiliy Istratov, in his turn, said: "I’m very satisfied
with my appointment as the ambassador to Azerbaijan. I believe
nothing will hinder the development of the bilateral ties between
our two countries. Azerbaijan-Russia partnership should cover all
the fields. We’ll do our best to achieve this. Presidents Vladimir
Putin of Russia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan have also directed
their efforts to this. We will also continue our military cooperation
with Azerbaijan".

On the situation over the Azerbaijan-Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Safar
Abiyev said: "We want the Russian Federation, as a co-chairing country,
to be more active in the settlement of the conflict, as Russia knows
well the history and origin of this conflict".

Mr. Istratov said that Azerbaijan is an important country for the
Russia in the South Caucasus, adding that "Russia will seek earliest
settlement of the dispute".

Safar Abiyev and Vasiliy Istratov also discussed ways to further
develop the all-round bilateral relations.