On May 18, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov met with a delegation led by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, Lieutenant-General Viktor Khrenin.
The MoD told Report that the delegation is paying an official visit to our country.
At first, the Belarusian mission visited the Alley of Honors, laid wreaths and flowers at the grave of the national leader of our people Heydar Aliyev and paid tribute to his memory.
The guests also visited the Alley of Shehids (Martyrs), where they laid wreaths and flowers at the graves of the heroic sons of the Motherland, who sacrificed their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of the country.
Then an official welcoming ceremony was held at the Ministry of Defense. The guest passed along the guard of honor, and national anthems of both countries were performed. The guest signed "Book of Honor" under the protocol.
The Azerbaijani and Belarusian military delegations held a meeting in an expanded format.
Welcoming the guests, Colonel General Z. Hasanov emphasized that the close and friendly relations of the heads of the state rely on the traditions based on sincere and mutual trust between our countries and peoples. Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation with Belarus in all areas, including in the military sphere. There is an excellent potential for the development of Azerbaijani-Belarusian cooperation in the military-technical and military-educational spheres. These relations are thriving.
Touching upon political and security issues in the region, the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan noted that our countries take an active part on various international platforms, supporting and protecting mutual interests.
Colonel General Zakir Hasanov noted that the Patriotic War, which began with a counter-offensive operation, ended with a glorious victory of the Azerbaijan Army under the command of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. Our lands were liberated from the occupation.
Informing the guest about the successful military operations carried out by the Azerbaijan Army, the Minister expressed gratitude to his counterpart for the position of Belarus during the 44-day war.
Lieutenant General V. Khrenin expressed satisfaction with his first foreign visit to a friendly Azerbaijan as a Minister of Defense and emphasized the importance of such meetings and mutual visits in the further expansion of bilateral military relations between the two countries.
The guest, noting that this cooperation is based on friendly relations between the leaders of states, once again brought to the attention that Belarus supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
During the meeting, issues of joint activities in the field of military, military-technical, and military-educational cooperation, organization of experts' visits to exchange experience, and other aspects of mutual interest were discussed.
Following the meeting, the ministers have signed a Bilateral Cooperation Plan for 2021 between the Ministries of Defense of Azerbaijan and Belarus.