BAKU - Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev received on Friday Land Forces Commander Gen. Aytac Yalman, who is paying a visit to Azerbaijani capital Baku.
Aliyev said that there was close cooperation between Turkey and his country and stated that they attributed great importance to this cooperation.
Stating that relations between the two countries were satisfactory, Aliyev said that both countries should exert mutual efforts to continue those relations in the future as well.
Touching on structuring of army, he said that Azerbaijani army was going through an important development currently and stated that the support of Turkey made significant contribution to this process.
Aliyev said that he paid his first foreign visit to Turkey as premier.
Yalman said that he would like to congratulate Ilham Aliyev on his success in the presidential elections which was held in a democratic environment and stated that friendly relations between the two countries would be continued in the line of word of Azerbaijani President Haydar Aliyev who said, ''one nation, two states''.
''Cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan is intimate and lasting. But we should have more lasting cooperation,'' he said and noted that bilateral relations between the two countries should be more advanced in the future than now.
Yalman said that Balkans, the Middle East and Caucasus were among crisis regions which appeared after the cold war and stated that everybody knew developments in Balkans. He noted that crisis still continued in the Middle East and added that Caucasus was also very important in that respect.
Touching on Upper Karabakh problem under the Armenian occupation, Yalman stated, ''the problem of Azerbaijan is also problem of us. Turkey considers this problem as its own problem. Cooperation should be further developed in that respect.''
Turkish Ambassador in Baku Unal Cevikoz, Armed Forces Attache Gen. Omer Bayrakli, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Sefer Abiyev and other officials also attended the meeting.
YALMAN RECEIVED BY AZERBAIJANI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CHAIRMAN ALESKEROV
Aleskerov said that Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev who won the presidential elections on October 15 would start to serve as president soon.
Aleskerov stated that Azerbaijan had put into practice very important reforms for 10 years and said that threats which were against the state could not reach their goals.
Touching on Upper Karabakh problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Aleskerov said that Azerbaijani army had the power that would save territories under occupation and added that they believed that the policy that Turkey pursued during the solution process of Upper Karabakh so far would not change from now on.
Yalman said that Upper Karabakh problem was also the issue of Turkey and stated that a change in the policy on Upper Karabakh which Turkey pursued so far was out of question. He added that no one should have doubt on this issue.
Stating that he hoped that elections which were held in Azerbaijan within the scope of democratic criteria would be beneficial for the two countries, Yalman said that he believed that elections would provide opportunity to further improvement of cooperation between the two countries.
Yalman said that cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan started first in military training field and yet stated that relations had to also show themselves in economic, cultural and political fields.
Stressing that the two countries had to have cooperation, he said, that Upper Karabakh problem was also the issue of Turkey. Yalman added, ''Turkey will be beside Azerbaijan till the problem is solved.''
Yalman said that Azerbaijan recorded great progresses in military field and noted that military relations between the two countries should further improve. He said that the two countries went through together problems that appeared after the cold war.
''Those problems showed themselves as crisis regions in 13 separate regions of the world. Turkey is located in the middle of three of those crisis regions. Hot clash in crisis regions which erupted first in the Balkans and then in the Middle East will also appear in Caucasus in the near future. Turkey and Azerbaijan need close and tight cooperation now than ever before,'' Yalman noted.
(EÖ-AY) 24.10.2003