Azerbaijani defence chief lashes out at attempts to aggravate regional situation

Today we held the tenth meeting at the level of defense ministers in a trilateral format. The meeting we held is a vivid example of strategic-level dialogue between our countries.

Azerbaijani Defence Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov told a presser held following the 10th trilateral meeting of the defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia in Baku, Azertac news agency reports.

The defence minister said that the meeting discussed the efficiency of developing relations and activities between three friendly and neighboring countries in bilateral and trilateral formats, prospects for their further development, military-political processes taking place in the region and the world, including ways to ensure stability in the region, and opinions were exchanged on other issues of mutual interest.

“The discussions focused on the importance of peace, stability, security, and joint cooperation in the region. In particular, we noted that the continuation of terrorist and separatist activities in the region poses a direct threat to the establishment of regional peace and stability, economic development, and the security of international projects, and we also emphasized the unacceptability of attempts by countries located outside the region to aggravate the situation in the region. Once again, the importance of the peaceful resolution of conflicts based on the norms and principles of international law, in particular, the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders, was emphasized,” said Zakir Hasanov.

The minister added that the meeting of the Azerbaijani, Georgian, and Turkish defence ministers had a detailed exchange of views on the prospects for the development of cooperation in the field of military affairs, military education, and military medicine, the possibilities of holding various types of joint events and other issues of cooperation:

“We noted the importance of intensifying the exercises and training conducted in a tripartite format and conducting them in desert conditions. Conducting such joint exercises will contribute to ensuring operational coordination between our military units, creating the ground for the transition of our trilateral activities to a new stage and, as a result, regional security.

The Azerbaijani defence minister added that in 2024, a number of events in various areas of military cooperation are planned to be held in Azerbaijan in a trilateral format.

“I believe that the sincere relations between our states and our trilateral cooperation in the field of defense are a model of partnership for peace, which can become an example for everyone. In this sense, our trilateral joint activities should be assessed as a peacekeeping message aimed at maintaining stability in the region,” he emphasized.