Baku, February 21, AZERTAC

Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has today met with a delegation led by Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Brigadier General Amir Hatami.

The ministers of defense of the two countries held a one-on-one meeting, which then continued in an expanded format.

Zakir Hasanov congratulated Brigadier General Amir Hatami on his appointment as minister of defense, and described his first visit as defense minister to Azerbaijan as a sign of friendly relations between the two countries.

Minister Hasanov hailed the role of national leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev in establishing mutual trust and developing the Azerbaijani-Iranian relations.

Speaking about the military-political situation in the region, Zakir Hasanov said the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a serious threat to the regional stability.

The minister also expressed gratitude to the Iranian side for its efforts to settle the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

Noting that religious, historical, cultural ties between the two states are based on friendly traditions, Brigadier General Hatami stated that there is a great potential for cooperation in the military sphere. He also added that his country recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and supports its just position on settlement of the conflict.

He stressed that Iran, as a Muslim country, is interested in increasing the military power of Azerbaijan and is ready to provide any assistance in this sphere.

The sides held an extensive exchange of views on the prospects for the development of cooperation in the military, military-technical, military-medical and military-educational spheres, organization of reciprocal visits of expert groups, and other issues of mutual interest.

Following the meeting, the ministers made press statements.