Azerbaijan, U.S. praise co-op
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijan and U.S. officials praised cooperation between the two countries in different fields.
Azerbaijan's Defense Minister, Zakir Hasanov received a delegation led by Oklahoma National Guard Commander, Myles Deering on July 16, the Defense Ministry said.
Hasanov informed the U.S. delegation on the situation in the region, the continuation of Armenia's aggressive policy, recently increasing ceasefire violations in the front zone, and provocations by the Armenian armed units.
The ceasefire violations on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops have recently intensified. As a result of ceasefire breaches, several Azerbaijani soldiers were shot dead and several others wounded.
The Armenian armed forces don't hesitate to fire at the civilians living in the villages located near the frontline. Last month, five civilians were wounded as a result of Armenian armed forces' shelling of houses and fields in the border villages.
Hasanov further expressed satisfaction with the results achieved by Azerbaijan and the U.S. in various fields of cooperation, expansion of mutual ties between the Azerbaijani armed forces and the Oklahoma National Guard.
He also noted the importance of further development of these relations.
Deering, for his part, expressed appreciation of Azerbaijani armed forces' contributions to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
Azerbaijan supports the international peace keeping operations in Afghanistan. Currently, some 90 Azerbaijani servicemen are serving as part of international forces in Afghanistan.
Azerbaijan is also among the eight partner countries that have confirmed their presence in Afghanistan after 2014. The peacekeepers will stay in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country by the end of 2014. However, Azerbaijan will reduce its presence in Afghanistan after 2014.
Deering further noted that military cooperation between two sides is a good example to follow by other countries. He also supported expansion of this cooperation.
Afterwards, the two sides exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in different fields. The meeting was also attended by the U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, Richard Morningstar.