Ilham Aliyev received delegation led by Russian defense minister

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu.

Welcoming the delegation, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Minister, I am glad to see you in Azerbaijan again. I recall our previous meeting. You visited our country about a year ago. At that time, a meeting of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers was held in Baku. The Sea Cup competition, which is part of the Army Games, is opening in Baku today. As you know, Azerbaijan traditionally participates in the Army Games and traditionally hosts the Sea Cup competition. I think that these competitions will continue to serve the strengthening of cooperation between all countries that participate in them.

The Army Games are initiated by Russia and the main competitions are also held in Russia. Our tank troops take part in the tank biathlon. This is a good opportunity to meet and exchange views on issues related to the prospects for our cooperation in the military sphere, which is part of the very broad agenda of our interstate relations.

Just recently, I had a telephone conversation with President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. During the conversation, we discussed issues related to regional security and regional problems. The official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation starts tomorrow. I am sure that the discussions to be held between the heads of the foreign ministries will be productive. They will discuss the current dynamics of relations, as well as the prospects for the development of ties. Therefore, dialogue is ongoing, and I am glad that you are visiting us again. I wish you a pleasant stay in Azerbaijan.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said:

- Thank you, dear Mr. President. For me, a visit to Azerbaijan is always a good opportunity to exchange views, discuss regional security issues and, of course, our military and military-technical cooperation. Here we have something to report to our presidents on, there is something to discuss. Unfortunately, the pandemic that is spreading around the world leaves its mark on our cooperation plans too. But I am sure that together with my colleague, the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, we will discuss how we can make up for lost time due to this pandemic and return to the schedule we have achieved to date.

The Azerbaijani team started yesterday. We viewed them. It went pretty well. I mean tank biathlon. In other competitions, the Azerbaijani team is also doing quite well. I wish you every success. Certainly, the coverage of these events in the world and the exhibition that is taking place is quite extensive. And I should note here that what we are demonstrating at the exhibition is perhaps the most modern weaponry in Russia today. We will also discuss this with my colleague today. I hope that there too we will have an opportunity to catch up.

Regarding the rest, we cannot but be pleased by the fact that both Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani team traditionally host competitions in the Caspian Sea. They are always held at a high level because there is both traditional hospitality and the organization of all these competitions, of course, is at the highest level. Previously, we had competitions in 10 countries, but the pandemic, unfortunately, narrowed them down to five. Fortunately, though, Azerbaijan remained among these five. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us.