Kiev, Nov 5 (IANS): The Ukrainian Parliament has approved the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories, Oleksiy Reznikov as the country's new Defence Minister, the Parliament press service said.

Reznikov's appointment was supported by 273 lawmakers in the 450-seat Assembly on Thursday after he was nominated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

While addressing the parliament, Reznikov said in his new position he will pay attention to intensifying cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

Reznikov's appointment came after the Ukrainian Parliament on Wednesday accepted the resignation of former Defence Minister Andriy Taran, who left the office reportedly for health reasons.

Reznikov, a 55-year-old former lawyer, was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories in March 2020.

He also served as a member of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine.