Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani and Dutch officials have discussed the military-political situation in the South Caucasus region.

Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijani Defense Minister met Robert Jan Gabrielsen, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Azerbaijan on January 13 to discuss prospects for cooperation, the Ministry said.

Touching upon the military-political situation in the region, Hasanov stressed that Armenia's aggressive policy continues to this day and delay of peace processes and extension talks have had a negative impact on the situation in the region.

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 had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The sides also exchanged views on the mutual interest in the development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands.

The Kingdom of The Netherlands recognized Azerbaijan’s independence on December 31, 1991 and the diplomatic relations between two countries was established on April 1, 1992. Azerbaijan’s Embassy was opened in The Hague in May 2007. In October, 2009 the Embassy of the Kingdom was established in Baku.

Relations between two countries are growing rapidly. Either before or after the opening of diplomatic representations the following periodic high-level visits contributed to the further development of bilateral political cooperation.

The Netherlands supports territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan in the issue of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The first monument perpetuating the memory of the victims of Khojaly genocide, which committed by the Armenian armed forces in early 1990s, in European Union erected in 2008 in The Hague.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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