Azeri defence minister, visiting US delegation praise ties
Bilik Dunyasi news agency
9 Mar 05
Baku, 9 March: The USA attaches special importance to cooperation with
Azerbaijan. This idea was voiced during Azerbaijani Defence Minister
Safar Abiyev’s meeting with US Ambassador Reno Harnish and a visiting
delegation of the US Air Force College.
After welcoming the guests, Abiyev pointed to the importance of such
meetings. The minister also spoke about Azerbaijan’s independence
history.
“From the first days of its independence Azerbaijan embarked on the
course of integration into European security bodies. Today, Azerbaijan
views the USA as its strategic ally and closely cooperates with NATO
within the framework of the Partnership for Peace programme. In 2004,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev presented an individual cooperation
plan to the NATO secretary-general. We are now working to implement
that plan and we intend to fulfil all its provisions. Our goal is
to get as close to NATO as possible. Azerbaijan attaches special
importance to cooperation with the United States,” Abiyev said.
Informing the visiting delegation of the military and political
situation in the South Caucasus, the history and implications of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Col-Gen Safar Abiyev said: “Although
the sides reached a cease-fire agreement in 1994, there has been
no breakthrough in the conflict settlement. Despite the fact that
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] recently
recognized Armenia as an aggressor and the Nagornyy Karabakh forces
as separatists, Armenia is still not honouring four UN Security
Council resolutions demanding its unconditional withdrawal from
the occupied Azerbaijani territories. We are stating again that the
people of Azerbaijan will never come to terms with the occupation of
their lands.”
After thanking Col-Gen Safar Abiyev for the cordial welcome and
detailed information, Reno Harnish said the USA attaches particular
importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan and considers it a strategic
partner.