The United States considers Azerbaijan an important partner in the fight against terrorism, Laura Cooper, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, who is on a visit to Baku, told reporters on Thursday, APA reported. “I’m visiting Azerbaijan to discuss ways of strengthening U.S.-Azerbaijan relations,” she said. The U.S. highly appreciates Azerbaijan’s participation in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, the Pentagon official stressed. “There are 94 Azerbaijani soldiers in Afghanistan. They are contributing to stability and security,” she said. Laura Cooper said she held meetings in Baku with representatives of the Azerbaijani government—including those of the Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Border Troops, and Presidential Administration. “The U.S. is renewing its commitment to Afghanistan security and adopting a new approach that focuses on conditions-based deployments as opposed to timeline-based employment.  We’re taking a holistic approach that incorporates the whole of government, diplomatic, and political focus, and it was my pleasure to be able to discuss this strategic approach with a strategic partner like Azerbaijan and talk about our mutual deployment in Afghanistan,” she added. Source: APA