Azernews.Az

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received a delegation led by U.S. Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Kathleen Hicks, Trend news agency reported.

Hicks expressed her satisfaction with the first visit, stressing that Baku made a deep impression on her.

She said the U.S. appreciates participation of Azerbaijan's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan and the country's contribution to this mission.

Hicks said that the U.S. is interested in improving defense relations between the two countries to the level of a strategic partnership, stressing the importance of mutual exchange of ideas on defining cooperation areas in this field.

In turn, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the United States in various spheres, underlining that the two countries' defense cooperation has a long history.

The Head of State stressed the role of defense cooperation in the development of bilateral relations and highlighted the importance of this cooperation in regional and energy security, as well as strengthening of stability.

President Aliyev expressed his confidence that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the U.S. will enhance further in various areas, including the defense sphere.