U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a favorable comment on his visit to Azerbaijan, U.S. Department of Defense website reports.

Calling Azerbaijan an important partner in the coalition’s efforts in Afghanistan, Gates said he discussed a stronger military relationship between Azerbaijan and the United States in meetings with two of the country’s leaders, the statement says.

“All in all, I would say it was a very positive visit, and I think it set the stage for further expansion of the relationship. We will have a bilateral defense consultation next month, where I think a lot of the things that we discussed will be put on the table and perhaps fleshed out,” Gates said.

During his talks in Baku, Gates said, he and the Azerbaijani leaders discussed strengthening the bilateral military relationship and the possibility of further U.S. help with maritime security in the Caspian Sea. According to him, more military exercises and intelligence sharing also came up during the meetings and the discussions also touched on Iran and Russia, the statement says.

The Azerbaijani leaders expressed concern about a lack of progress in a long-standing territorial dispute with Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Gates said, and he promised to relay the message to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the statement reads.