The September 7th meeting between between General Valery Gerasimov (first deputy minister of defense) with General Petr Pavel (chairman of the NATO Military Committee) is a testimony to Azerbaijan’s tangible contributions to world peace, prosperity and promotion of dialogue among cultures and nations, American expert on international relations Peter Tase said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.
"Baku has earned equal importance as any other European city where major multilateral agreements have taken shape over the last decade," he stressed.
American expert recalled that on February 16th, 2017, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Valery Gerasimov met face to face for the first time since 2014 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The September 7th meeting between Gerasimov with Petr Pavel was the second major meeting that has placed Baku at the center stage of International politics and has emerged as a balanced city where a series of crucial negotiations and effective dialogue has taken place among the military leadership of Russian Federation (the world’s largest country) and NATO Leadership (the world’s strongest and oldest defense alliance).
"It is not a coincidence for Azerbaijan to be selected (in two occasions in 2017) as a gathering point of prominent military leaders of United States, Russian Federation and the NATO Alliance. Over the last decade, Azerbaijan has been characterized for its prudent Foreign Policy, impressive economic development and successful poverty reduction policies, a nation that advocates world peace and stability – despite the fact that over twenty percent of its sovereign territory has been occupied by Armenian Armed Forces for over twenty-five years – has acquiered a leadership role in a number of international organizations while bolstering its partnership with EU and Asean Multilateral Economic Alliances. In a number of geostrategic scenarios, the Republic of Azerbaijan has maintained neutrality that has been recognized by Washington, Brussels and Moscow," he noted.
"It is impressive to observe that Azerbaijan is the host country of historic meetings among military leaders that represent both sides, at a time when frictions and military provocations are on the rise, not only in Europe but also in the Far East. There is no doubt that over the next months, many subsequent coordination meetings will take place in Baku, as a famous Hungarian proverb states: 'Sok kicsi sokra megy', meaning; 'a series of small commitments bring many results'," Peter Tase concluded.
