A program of military cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan for 2001 has been approved

A program of military cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan for 2001 has been approved within the framework of Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev's official visit to Azerbaijan. The Trend news agency reports that the defense ministers of the two countries also signed an agreement on training of Azerbaijan's military personnel in Russia's military colleges, RBC reports. Sergeyev pointed out at the negotiations that preceded the signing of the agreements that Russia considers military cooperation with Azerbaijan very important. He expressed confidence that the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan would not resume. The defense ministers also discussed the question of the Gabalinskaya radar installation. Sergeyev pointed out that the two countries' positions on many issues correspond, although there are some disagreements. In Sergeyev's opinion, the parties should reach a compromise before the coming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijan. Sergeyev's Azerbaijani counterpart Safar Abiyev emphasized that there had been new Russian arms supplies to Armenia. The Azerbaijani defense minister pointed out that such actions by Russia, which is the co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk group, may block all the efforts to keep peace in the region. Answering reporters' questions of the investigation of illegal Russian arms supplies to Armenia in 1993-1997, Sergeyev said that these cases had been handed over to the Russian Prosecutor's Office. Answering a question of whether anybody has been prosecuted, the minister said, "there were no illegal supplies."