At his meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Azerbaijan, the Trend news agency reports.

It is important to maintain contacts and give the partners to understand that they actually play a significant role in the international coalition (Afghanistan), Gates told reporters.

He said his visit to Azerbaijan, Barack Obama's letter to President Ilham Aliyev and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's scheduled visit to Azerbaijan demonstrate the strategic nature of partnership between the two countries.

About 25% of the coalition’s supplies bound for Afghanistan pass through the Caucasus Spur, which includes Azerbaijan.

Since 2001, tens of thousands of flights for the war effort in Afghanistan have passed through Azerbaijan's airspace. About 100,000 troops have flown through Azerbaijani airspace to Afghanistan in the past year.