Azerbaijan, Pakistan mull military cooperation

By  Trend

Azerbaijani defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has met with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, the press service of the country’s Defense Ministry reported.

Firstly, the delegation led by Pakistani general visited the Alley of Honors, paid tribute and laid a wreath at the tomb of national leader Heydar Aliyev. The delegation also paid tribute and laid flowers at the grave of the prominent ophthalmologist, Academician Zarifa Aliyeva.

The delegation also visited the Alley of Martyrs, paid tribute and commemorated Azerbaijani heroes, who gave their lives for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, laid flowers to their graves and wreaths at the “Eternal Flame” monument.

Then an official welcoming ceremony for the Pakistani delegation was held in the Ministry of Defense. The guest passed along the guard of honor and national anthems of both countries were played. The “Book of Honor” was signed in accordance with the protocol.

Then, Zakir Hasanov and Zubair Mahmood Hayat held a one-on-one meeting, which was continued in an expanded format.

During the meeting held with the participation of delegations, Hasanov, greeting the guests, expressed satisfaction with the friendly attitude and mutual trust between the two countries, as well as the development of Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations and the level of strategic partnership.

Touching upon the military-political situation in the region, Hasanov comprehensively informed the guest about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Expressing gratitude for Pakistan’s support to Azerbaijan’s position in international organizations in resolving this conflict, the minister stressed that Azerbaijan also supports the territorial integrity of Pakistan.

The meeting highlighted the importance of cooperation in the military, military-technical spheres and in security and military education, as well as in expansion of relations between the air and naval forces of the two countries.

Then the Pakistani delegation visited a museum in the administrative building of the General Staff featuring expositions reflecting the life and activities of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, as well as got acquainted with the work in other office premises.