Ankara appoints new military attache to Baku
By Rashid Shirinov
The new Turkish military attaché to Azerbaijan, Brigadier General Zafer Ocak was introduced to Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov on November 1.
The Defense Ministry reported that Ocak, who replaced Ihsan Basbozkurt in this position, was introduced by Turkey’s newly-appointed ambassador Erkan Ozoral.
Firstly, Hasanov congratulated the ambassador on starting his diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan and wished him success in expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey.
In turn, Ozoral expressed satisfaction with beginning his activities in Azerbaijan and said he will spare no effort for the further development of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations, in particular, in the military sphere.
The minister further congratulated Zafer Ocak on his new appointment, and wished him success in future work for the expansion of ties between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The sides later discussed the military-political situation in the region and other important issues, as well as stressed the importance of resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the nearest future.
Turkey became the first state to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991. The diplomatic relations were established on 14 January 1992 and the Consulate General in Baku was upgraded to Embassy level.
The country has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to preserve its territorial integrity and realize the economic potential that arises from its rich natural resources in the Caspian Sea.
Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy good and developing economic ties, especially in terms of huge energy projects envisaging the transportation of Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon resources to the European and world markets through the Turkish territory.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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