Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan's Defense Minister received Turkey's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun on November 15, the Ministry said.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on regional and bilateral cooperation, and other issues of mutual interest.

Zakir Hasanov said the recent official visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Turkey will further strengthen bilateral ties.

President Aliyev paid his first official visit to neighboring Turkey on November 12-13 after his re-election to another five-year term. He held several meetings with Turkey's high-ranking officials.

Hasanov went on to say that military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey is based on the friendly and brotherly relations.

He also highlighted the regional importance of liberating Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia, noting that Azerbaijan will not accept the occupation.

Recently, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with Mikhail Gusman, first Deputy Director General of the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, that the Minsk Group co-chair countries must fulfill their commitments to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

Erdogan noted that the work of the OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, the U.S. and France is of great importance.

According to him, if the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved, the result will be beneficial for both Azerbaijan and Armenia.

He also said neighboring countries such as Turkey, Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan will also be winners.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

The meeting was also attended by Turkey's military attaché in Azerbaijan, Brigadier General Hasan Nevzat Tasdeler.