AZERBAIJAN DEFENSE MINISTER’S US VISIT MEETS WITH SUCCESS
According the press-service of the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry, the delegation of Azerbaijan was met at the “Dallas” International Airport /Washington D.C./ by Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United State Hafiz Pashayev, US Deputy Secretary of Defense on Eurasia Jim McDougal and other officials.
General-Colonel Safar Abiyev and members of the delegation arrived at Central Command of the US Armed Forces in Tampa, Florida to meet with Chief of staff, Major General Steven Withcomb. The latter thanked the Minister for Azerbaijan’s contribution to international coalition, and gave a positive assessment to activity of representative of Azerbaijan Armed Forces attached to the Central Command.
On March 22, General-Colonel Safar Abiyev met with Commander of the Special Operation Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Brian Brown. General Brown told in detail of activity of his division, and highly appreciated joint trainings of the US and Azerbaijan Navy, stressing especially the necessity of continuation of similar actions.
On the same day, General-Colonel Safar Abiyev arrived at Foreign Language College in San-Antonio, Texas, to be curious about Azerbaijan militaries studying here. During the meeting with Vice Commander, Air Education and Training Command, Lieutenant General John Hopper, the parties exchanged views on education systems in Azerbaijan and USA, and focused on significance of the cooperation in this sphere.
On March 23, Minister Safar Abiyev met at the 138th Air Squadron of the National Guards dislocated in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Commander of the State’s National Guards Hurry Vayyat and familiarized with F-16 aircraft, and then visited “Camp Gruber” Training Center. In Oklahoma city General-Colonel Safar Abiyev updated Governor Brad Henry on military and political situation in Southern Caucasus and plans of cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan and Oklahoma National Guards.
On the same day, the delegation familiarized with Regional Institute of Oklahoma National Guards training, and left for New York.
Here, on March 24, General-Colonel Safar Abiyev met with assistant of the UN Secretary General for peacekeeping operations Hadi Annabi. The latter highly appreciated peacekeeping activity of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces, and promised to render assistance in training of UN’s international observers for Azerbaijan in Finland.
The Minister informed on military aggression against Azerbaijan by Armenia, which ignored UN SC’s 4 resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, commits terrorist actions against our country, as well as on great number of uncontrolled weapon and ammunition stored in the occupied territories.
Having arrived in Washington D.C. on March 25, Minister Safar Abiyev held meetings with congressmen Frank Lucas and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, Deputy Chair of the US Congress Armed Forces Commission Curt Weldon and the Committee member James Gibbons, discussed consequences of the Armenian aggressive policy, and the threat to realization of energy projects in Azerbaijan because of unsolved Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and other issues. Congressmen Gibbons and Weldon have resolutely supported Azerbaijan’s stance on the issue. Mr. Weldon announced the initiative of creation of the “Caucasus” group to support Azerbaijan, and visit of the US Congress delegation to Baku early in April.
On March 26, the delegation of Azerbaijan led by General-Colonel Safar Abiyev laid a wreath at the grave of Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
Afterwards, an official meeting of the delegation with US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was held. Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, General-Colonel Safar Abiyev informed his American counterpart on the course of the visit, meetings with Congressmen, bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and USA, political and military situation in South Caucasian region, security in the Caspian, non-fulfillment by Armenia of one of the main principles of the Framework document of the NATO “Partnership for Peace” program – respect to territorial integrity of inviolability of frontiers, noted the importance of putting pressure on Armenia for non-fulfillment of the UN SC’s resolutions, as well as reported on the state of Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation and preparation for “Cooperative Best Effort 2004” training. The Minister expressed gratitude to Mr. Rumsfeld for conditions created for training Azerbaijani officers at military Institutes of the USA.
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld thanked Azerbaijan for the support in combat against international terrorism, and the assistance to the international coalition in Iraq, as well as highly appreciated importance of the Azerbaijan Defense Minister’s meeting with Congressmen, and supported the idea of stage-by-stage settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan and mentioned the necessity of acceleration of this process.
On the same day, Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan General-Colonel Safar Abiyev met with deputy Secretary of State on Political Affairs Mark Grossman and Linn Pasco. Discussed were the issues of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and US, military-political situation in the South Caucasus region, the destructive position of the aggressive side in the Armenian-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict, and others.
In the meeting with the deputy adviser to the US President on the issues of national security Stephan Hedley, focused were items of bilateral co-op between the United States and Azerbaijan, the country’s participation in peacemaking operations, Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation, energy projects, Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and “Security of the Caspian” program.
Ambassador Daniel Freed, the Head of Eurasian Department, attended the meeting.
The delegation of Azerbaijan led by Minister of Defense, Safar Abiyev returned to Homeland on March 28.
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