Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received a NATO delegation today.
The delegation included the permanent representatives of Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Portugal, and Spain to NATO, as well as the deputy permanent representatives of the USA and France to NATO.
Emphasizing the importance of the NATO delegation's reception by President Ilham Aliyev, Turkey's Permanent Representative to the Alliance, Basat Öztürk, fondly recalled the head of state's visits to NATO headquarters.
He stated that the foundation of Azerbaijan's current development was laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and emphasized that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, our country has further strengthened in all areas.
The guests conveyed their congratulations to President Ilham Aliyev on the achievements made in Washington towards advancing the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Expressing his gratitude for the congratulations, the head of state noted the special role of US President Donald Trump in this matter and said that the agreements reached open up broad opportunities for the development of the region.
President Ilham Aliyev, in turn, recalled his visits to NATO headquarters and noted that while support for operations in Afghanistan was an important part of Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation, cooperation between our country and the alliance on regional development, energy security, and other areas is also on the agenda.
The head of state emphasized that the Azerbaijani Army is being adapted to NATO standards and highlighted close cooperation with the Turkish army within this framework. In this regard, he touched upon the role of expanding ties between our country and the alliance.
President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that since Azerbaijan gained independence at the beginning of the last century, we have achieved our main goal – the liberation of our lands from occupation – and noted that the process of modernizing our army will continue.
The head of state expressed his hope that the NATO delegation's visit to our country would be successful.
During the conversation, it was emphasized that Azerbaijan is a valuable partner of NATO, and the services of our Armed Forces in the “Resolute Support” operations in Afghanistan, particularly our country's contributions as a regional transport and logistics hub, were highly appreciated. It was noted that our peacekeepers were among the last military personnel to leave Afghanistan.
The close friendship and strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and alliance members were touched upon, and it was stated that our country has actively participated in the alliance's programs since 1994 within the framework of NATO's “Partnership for Peace” Program.
During the meeting, prospects for Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation were discussed, and views were exchanged on regional and global issues.