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Chief of General Staff says Azerbaijan-Turkey military cooperation must develop, strengthen and last long

06 October 2015 15:47 (UTC +04:00)

An official welcoming ceremony was held for Hulusi Akar at the ministry. The distinguished guest reviewed a guard of honor, and then national anthems of the two countries were played. The Honorary Book was signed in accordance with the protocol.

The Azerbaijani defense minister and the chief of the Turkish General Staff first held a one-on-one meeting and then a meeting in an expanded format with the participation of the two countries’ delegations.

Hasanov said Azerbaijan and Turkey have military cooperation within the NATO-led peacekeeping operations, noting that the strategic partnership, which is based on fraternal and friendly relations, continues to develop.

Touching upon the military and political situation in the region, the defense minister said that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is a major threat to the regional stability. “Armenia tries to escalate the situation along the frontline and has recently suffered heavy losses in clashes with the Azerbaijani Army,” he added.

The minister noted the importance of joint military exercises of the Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces over recent years, stressing the necessity of continuing these activities according to plan with the support of both countries’ presidents and of increasing the number of such exercises.

“We’re delighted with the achievements made in the education area and regular exchange of experience. During these years, more than 6,000 Azerbaijani officers received education at Turkish military schools and 200 more officers still undergo preparation on a variety of specialties in the fraternal country. This plays a big role in the strengthening of our Armed Forces and is one of the factors pushing for the development [of the Armed Forces],” said the minister.

Army general H. Akar said relations between the two countries are based on ancient historic roots and friendship and that Turkey is a key partner of Azerbaijan.

“Our military cooperation must develop, strengthen, and last long. Such mutual cooperation and unity is not aimed against any other country and it only serves to ensure security for our countries which are located in difficult and hot regions,” he added.

Then the sides exchanged views on prospects of cooperation between the Azerbaijani and Turkish Armed Forces, opportunities for military, military- technical and military educational cooperation, expansion of activities within the framework of the High-Level Military Dialogue, development of joint plans, arrangement of mutual visits, and other issues of mutual interest.

At the end of the meeting, on behalf of the Supreme Commander, Army General Hulusi Akar, for his merits in strengthening military cooperation between the two countries, was awarded with the medal “For merits in military cooperation” of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the order of Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov,