ISTANBUL: Azerbaijan and Slovakia on Tuesday signed documents establishing a strategic partnership and expanding defense cooperation between the two countries during an official visit by the Slovak premier to Baku. A statement by the Azerbaijani presidency said a ceremony was held in Baku with the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, during which they signed a joint declaration on the establishment of a strategic partnership between their countries. The statement further said Azerbaijan and Slovakia's defense ministers later signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of military-technical cooperation, as well as an agreement on defense cooperation between the two ministries. The ceremony took place after Aliyev and Fico held narrow and expanded talks, during which Azerbaijan's president said they exchanged views on the prospects of Azerbaijani-Slovak relations. Expressing that they agreed these ties have a 'very bright future,' Aliyev said the p rospects of cooperation in political and economic fields, as well as in energy and industrial production, are very positive. 'I believe that your visit will open a new page of our relations. Because the scope of the issues discussed today is so wide that solving these issues will raise our relations to a very high level,' he said. For his part, Fico said there are many concepts and common points that unite them and that they are 'united by a pragmatic approach' despite his country being a member of the EU. 'What unites us is the sovereign foreign policy, the policy that you implement and we strive for. At the same time, we are united by the fact that we look at the world in all four directions, we are not rooted only in the West or in one direction.' Indicating that they respect international law, territorial integrity, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, Fico congratulated Aliyev on his reelection as president and invited him to Slovakia. Source: Anadolu Agency
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