Azerbaijan, Turkey discuss prospects for cooperation in military
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Chief of the Turkish General Staff Necdet Ozel on April 2.
During the meeting, the sides noted that friendly and fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey had been developing successfully on all fronts, including in the military and technical fields.
President Aliyev voiced confidence that Ozel`s visit to Azerbaijan would contribute to expanding relations in these fields even further.
They also discussed prospects for cooperation in the military and technical fields.
On the same day, Azerbaijan`s Prime Minister Artur Rasizade also met with Ozel.
Speaking about ancient historical roots and fraternal traditions of the Azerbaijan-Turkey relations, Rasizade praised the close ties between the two countries in the fields of politics, economy and culture.
He expressed confidence that Ozel`s visit to Azerbaijan would contribute to deepening cooperation in the military area.
Rasizade voiced his confidence in further development of bilateral relations between the two countries.
Ozel, in turn, noted that the Azerbaijan-Turkey strategic partnership in the military field serves the best interests of the two nations.
Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Ozel said Turkey supports the settlement of the problem in accordance with the international law and the principles of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and border inviolability.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, the Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.
Long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
Turkey cut diplomatic ties and closed its border with Armenia after the country invaded Azerbaijan's territories.
Turkey set Armenia's withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 surrounding regions of Azerbaijan as a precondition for establishing diplomatic relations with the country.
The sides also exchanged views over prospects for cooperation between the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the military field was praised during a meeting of the two countries' military officials.
Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov met with Ozel on April 1.
Touching upon the military and political situation of the region, Hasanov said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was a major threat to regional stability.
He stressed the importance of solving the conflict in compliance with the norms and principles of the international law.
At the meeting, Ozel said bilateral ties between the two fraternal countries were based on their historical roots and friendship traditions, adding that Turkey is an important strategic partner of Azerbaijan.
The sides discussed the prospects of relations between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
During the meeting, Ozel was presented with the For Distinction in Military Service order of the Republic of Azerbaijan for his contributions to strengthening military cooperation between the two countries.
Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun also presented at the meetings.
Azerbaijan-Turkey relations have always been strong due to a common culture and history and the mutual intelligibility of Turkish and Azerbaijani languages.
Turkey was the first country in the world to recognize Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity, and realize its economic potential that arise from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea.
The countries share a short 8km-border, with the Aras River separating Turkey from the Nakhchivan exclave.