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Release
Immediate Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper's Meeting With Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov

Oct. 24, 2019

Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan R. Hoffman provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper met with Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov today at the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels, Belgium, to reaffirm the defense relationship between the United States and Azerbaijan.

The leaders discussed the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Azerbaijan and a range of defense issues, including Azerbaijan’s longstanding contributions to countering terrorism in Afghanistan.  The Secretary and Minister also discussed opportunities to deepen defense cooperation, and reaffirmed commitments to the OSCE Minsk Group process to achieve a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Secretary Esper and Minister Hasanov agreed to continue the strong bilateral defense relationship between the U.S. and Azerbaijan, and to ensure close coordination and consultation.

Esper Defense Secretary