President Aliyev hails Afghanistan for political support to Azerbaijan during Karabakh war [UPDATE]

By Vafa Ismayilova

President Ilham Aliyev has praised the political support that Afghanistan showed for Azerbaijan during the six-week-long war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from September 27 to November 10, Azertag has reported.

Aliyev made the remarks at a meeting with visiting Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib and Head of the Afghan Presidential Administration Shakir Kargar on December 21.

The political support of the Afghan president for Azerbaijan since the first days of the conflict and Afghanistan's support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan were hailed at the meeting. Touching upon the bilateral ties between the two countries, the sides noted the achievements in the development of relations, adding that there is a good potential for expanding bilateral cooperation. The role of the personal ties between the Azerbaijani and Afghan presidents in developing bilateral relations was emphasized.

National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib conveyed Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani's greetings to Ilham Aliyev. The Azerbaijani leader thanked for the greetings and asked Mohib to extend his greetings to the Afghan counterpart.

During the conversation, the sides stressed the importance of the end to the the conflict in ensuring the regional security and stability and noted that this created great opportunities for multilateral cooperation. The meeting focused on prospects for cooperation in economic, security, investment, transport and other areas.

The senior officials also discussed the development of the Lapis Lazuli international transport corridor and Azerbaijan's participation in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan. Mohib presented a letter from Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to President Ilham Aliyev.

In early October, in a phone conversation with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, his Afghan counterpart Haneef Atmar reiterated support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. During the conversation, Bayramov thanked Afghanistan for statements by the National Council of Afghanistan in support of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

A Russia-brokered cease-fire deal brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed the agreement on November 10 to end the war and work toward a comprehensive solution. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since early 1990s.

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