Zakir Hasanov discusses military-technical cooperation with new French Ambassador

The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has met with the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic in Azerbaijan Zacharie Gross.

Report informs citing the press service of the Ministry that the Minister of Defense congratulated the Ambassador on the commencement of diplomatic activities in our country and wished him success in expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and France.

During the meeting that discussed issues of expanding military relations between Azerbaijan and France, an exchange of views was held on the military-political situation in the region, problems of international and regional security, as well as prospects for the development of cooperation.

Defense Minister informed the diplomat about the current situation on the line of contact of troops and stressed that Armenia's destructive position on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict creates a serious threat to regional security. The Minister emphasized that the solution to this issue is to compel Armenia to fulfill the requirements of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council on the basis of the norms and principles of international law.

The Minister of Defense highly appreciating the cancellation by the relevant courts of France of a number of illegal "agreements" signed between some cities of France and the "local authorities" created by the fictitious regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, expressed hope that France, as the Co-Chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group, would show more efforts in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Noting the importance of bilateral relations in the defense sector, Colonel General Z. Hasanov praised the current state of cooperation between Azerbaijan and France in the military, military-technical and military-educational fields.

In turn, the diplomat, noting cooperation and friendly relations between our countries, stressed that France supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Ambassador Z. Gross, noting that France is implementing joint defense projects with Azerbaijan, in particular in the military-technical, military-educational and military-medical spheres, emphasized the importance of developing these programs.

During the meeting, the parties discussed projects implemented in Azerbaijan by a number of French companies manufacturing military products, as well as other issues of mutual interest in the field of defense and security.