US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence: "Azerbaijan is close to NATO standards"

The visitor highly assessed the reforms conducted in Azerbaijan in military sphere and noted that the country comes closer to NATO standards, Foreign Ministry press service told the APA.

He emphasized that NATO is not only a military organization and it also unites political elements. Mr. MacDougall highly appreciated the development in Azerbaijan and pushed to forward the importance of partnership relations in the defence sphere. He was interested in the measures taken on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict solution.

Minister Mammadyarov mentioned decisive move in the defence sphere. He also stated the necessity of transferring Azerbaijani IDPs to their lands, reconstruction of infrastructure and communication after Armenian armed forces withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

The Minister also touched upon the arsons committed by Armenians in the occupied Azerbaijan territories and stated the importance of ecological operations to be conducted by international experts.

Mammadyarov said the OSCE, UN and other organizations are expected to send their experts to the region too.

Mentioning the large-scale projects being implemented in the country, including commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, which is about to complete, realization of intensive works connected to Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway, the Minister brought to notice that Armenia stayed beyond these projects because of its aggressive policy.