Washington sees Baku as reliable ally

At a meeting with students of the reputable Fletcher Diplomacy School at the Azerbaijani Commercial and Cultural Center, US Deputy Defense Minister for Eurasian issues Mira Richardel has said: "Azerbaijan is a reliable US ally in the counter-terrorism fight and has confirmed it in practice. " Mira Richardel added that the US defense ministry considered it necessary to help Azerbaijan with military reforms.

The AssA-Irada correspondent in the US, James Beale says that also attending the meeting were representatives of the National Security Council, World Bank, and those engaged in the Azerbaijani energy sector. It was noted at the meeting that the US was interested in developing Caspian natural resources.

Answering questions from students concerning settlement of the Upper Qarabag conflict, the Azerbaijani ambassador Hafiz Pasayev, said great powers must eagerly participate in order to resolve the dispute. Moreover, he urged the US as an OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman to become more active in the process of negotiations.