Azerbaijan has become a reliable venue for international meetings and negotiations.

Russia expects that negotiations with the United States to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START Treaty) will be revived, Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told a briefing for foreign defense attaches on Wednesday, TASS reports.

Meeting with Russian army's General Staff Valery Gerasimov in Azerbaijan does not mean the change in U.S. policy towards Russia, the U.S. Marine Corps General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joseph Dunford stated, RIA Novosti reported.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov met with Deputy Defense Minister, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov Feb. 16, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on February 16.

Azerbaijani and Russian military officials discussed bilateral cooperation based on mutual confidence and friendship.