U.S. Defense Secretary: Baku visit will create conditions for further development of Azerbaijani-American Relations

"We are to have further bilateral consultations on defense next month, which, I hope, will further concretize much of what we have already discussed," Gates said.

The sides mulled issues to strengthen bilateral cooperation in military field, as well as the U.S. assistance in providing security in the Caspian Sea, the issues relating to Iran and Russia, the increasing number of joint military exercises and intelligence data sharing.

"At the meetings, the Azerbaijani side expressed concern about the lack of progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement," Gates said. He, in turn, promised to inform the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the matter, the source reported. 


/Trend/