Azerbaijan's Minister of Defence Safar Abbiyev is to travel to Washington on Saturday to discuss the fight against international terrorism and military co-operation with the United States, his ministry said.Abbiyev was invited by the Pentagon to meet US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other officials, the defence ministry said in a statement Friday.
"The two sides will discuss bilateral military co-operation, joint measures to fight international terrorism... (and) the issue of US assistance in developing Azerbaijan's armed forces."
Azerbaijan, a majority Muslim nation which borders Iran and the oil-rich Caspian Sea, is seen by US military planners as a strategic location.
The Pentagon is working on plans to send instructors to train the Azeri military, and also wants the option to use military airbases in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan's pro-Western government has sent troops to help the US-led security operation in Iraq. Azeri troops are also serving with international peace-keeping forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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