Gauhar Malik
Baku
The visiting NATO Commander of the European Command U.S. General Todd Walters today held an important meeting with the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan – Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Colonel General Najmeddin Sadykov and discussed bilateral and regional situation.
The meeting took place on Thursday following the visit of a delegation led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Europe (SACEUR) to Azerbaijan.
Azeri Chief of General Staff Colonel General Sadykov recalled the growing ties between his country and NATO and highlighted the activities of the Azerbaijani army under various programs and the contribution made by our troops to the “Resolute” mission support ”in Afghanistan.
According to official reports the Azeri Chief of the General Staff emphasized that the main goal of Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation in various fields is to eliminate instability, conflicts and threats in the Euro-Atlantic space, as well as to create a unified security system on a global scale. Colonel-General Sadykov recalled the fact that Armenia had illegally occupied 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan and that the negotiation process to this day has been inconclusive due to uncompromising attitude of Armenia.
Colonel General Saykov emphasized that the solution to the problem is to force Armenia to fulfill the requirements of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions on the basis of the norms and principles of international law.
The Chief of the General Staff, lauded the NATO’s position on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country, expressed confidence that the Alliance will continue to provide assistance in this direction.
In turn, General Walters recognised that Azerbaijan remains a reliable partner of the Alliance, appreciated Baku’s role and participation in the fight against terrorism.
NATO officials also appreciated significant contribution to the provision of airspace for cargo transportation for peacekeeping operations, including the high professionalism of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Afghanistan.
General Walters emphasized that the Alliance stands for a peaceful solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Meanwhile Azerbaijan became a bridge between Russia and NATO as the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov and Commander-in-Chief of the NATO Armed Forces Tod Walters exchanged views on strategic stability and the situation in crisis regions, Russian Defense Ministry reports confirmed. “On February 6, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Gerasimov met in Baku with the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Armed Forces of NATO, General Walters,” the Russian statement was quoted as saying.
