Zakir Hasanov meets with Head of Partnerships Directorate of NATO/SHAPE

On October 16, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has met with NATO delegation led by the Head of Partnerships Directorate at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Rear Admiral Bulent Turan that is on a visit to our country as part of the NATO Days, Report informs citing the press service of the Defense Ministry.

The Minister of Defense stressed that Azerbaijan’s partnership relations with NATO are multilateral, and special attention is paid to the continuous development of this partnership.

The Minister of Defense recalling the political support provided by NATO to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our state stressed that this serves to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security and is also important for regional peace and stability.

Rear Admiral B. Turan, in turn, highly appreciating the Azerbaijan-NATO relations, highlighted the contribution made by our peacekeepers to international security as part the missions conducted in Afghanistan, the active participation of Azerbaijani servicemen in many programs of the Alliance, as well as the level of training of our officers undergoing service at various NATO headquarters. B. Turan also expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense for organizing and conducting the “NATO Days” in our country at a high level.

During the meeting, the sides discussed issues of operational training, conducting exercises, the development of military education, the achievement of interoperability of troops within the framework of cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and NATO, and held a detailed exchange of views on the prospects for the development of cooperation and possible contribution of our country to the NATO mission in Iraq.