Azerbaijan has completed the main stage of its modern history – the liberation of the occupied territories and intends to continue its course towards modernizing the army and developing partnership with the North Atlantic Alliance. This was stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting with the NATO delegation, which included permanent representatives of Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Spain to NATO, as well as deputy permanent representatives of the United States and France.
The text of the statement was published by the presidential press service on Thursday, 6 November.
“Azerbaijan liberated its lands from occupation and thereby achieved the main goal set since the restoration of independence. The process of modernization of the Azerbaijani army will continue,” the head of state said.
Cooperation with NATO and reforms in the defense sector
Aliyev noted that the Azerbaijani armed forces are consistently brought into line with NATO standards and in this process are actively cooperating with the Turkish army. “Our relations with the alliance cover not only the military sphere. Regional development, energy security and joint efforts to ensure peace and stability occupy an important place,” the president emphasized. According to him, Azerbaijan’s participation in international operations, including the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, will remain an important area of cooperation with the alliance.
Members of the NATO delegation congratulated the President of Azerbaijan on the successes achieved in Washington in promoting the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In addition, the meeting participants highly appreciated Azerbaijan’s contribution to NATO operations, emphasizing that Azerbaijani peacekeepers were the last military personnel to leave Afghanistan. It was noted that the country has been actively participating in the alliance’s programs as part of the Partnership for Peace initiative since 1994.