U.S., Russia agreed to avoid risk of unintended incidents
By Amina Nazarli
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation General of the Army Valery Gerasimov met in Baku to discuss the current state of the military relationship between the two sides.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between the two top seniors of the world’s two greatest military powers. This is the first meeting at this level since January 2014, when Gerasimov met with then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Martin Dempsey.
Gerasimov and Dunford outlined vectors of joint work aimed at easing tensions and preventing military incidents, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The U.S. Department of Defense also commented on the talks.
"The U.S. and Russian militaries have undertaken efforts to improve operational safety of military activities in order to decrease the prospects for crisis and avoid the risk of unintended incidents. The leaders further agreed to enhance communications on such stabilizing measures," the Pentagon's press release stated.
A Pentagon statement earlier Wednesday said that discussions in Baku would center on "the current state of U.S.-Russian military relations and the importance of consistent and clear military-to-military communication to prevent miscalculation and potential crisis."
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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