Azerbaijan to assist Afghanistan after 2014
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister highlighted the importance of Azerbaijan as a transit route for ISAF and said it will remain so for post-2014 operations.
Elmar Mammadyarov made the remarks at the ministerial meeting of the ISAF partner-countries at NATO headquarters in Brussels on December 4.
Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan, as a potential operational partner for the post-ISAF mission, is capable of contributing significantly in terms of troops, training, transit, and financial assistance even after 2014, the Foreign Ministry reported.
Showing solidarity with the Afghan people and the international community, Azerbaijan joined the International Security Assistance Force (İSAF) operation.
Mammadyarov said relations between Azerbaijan and Afghanistan are strategic and brotherly, with strong bilateral cooperation and a serious potential to grow.
He went on to say Azerbaijan may contribute to the development of Afghanistan even after the completion of peacekeeping operations in the country.
Azerbaijan is among the eight partner countries that have confirmed their presence in Afghanistan after 2014. Peacekeepers of the country will stay in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country by the end of 2014. However, Azerbaijan will reduce its presence in Afghanistan after 2014.
Mammadyarov said the upcoming Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad and a new Caspian seaport in Azerbaijan will be a serious add-on to the transit capacity.
Referring to Azerbaijan-NATO partnership, the minister said Azerbaijan strongly supports committed and reliable relations with the Alliance.
Topics such as the new mission of the NATO member states and its partners, participating in the ISAF after the completion of the mission in 2014, transferring control to the national security forces of Afghanistan, and assisting the Afghan national army were discussed at the meeting.
During the visit, Mammadyarov held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Romania, and Finland.
NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating on democratic, institutional, and military reforms, and enjoy practical cooperation in various areas.
The cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and the NATO is set out in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) on Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has decided to broaden its activities in Afghanistan's non-military areas. Real cooperation began with Afghan specialists' training in mine sweeping. The preparatory works are underway on Azerbaijani military doctors' activity in Afghan hospitals, education of Afghan people at medical universities, participation of medical personnel in Azerbaijan's educational courses, Afghan military personnel's participation in educational courses at the military academy and other military schools, and Afghan students' education in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan aspires to achieve Euro-Atlantic standards and get closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions. In this regard, supporting reform in the security sector and establishing democratic institutions are the key elements of the NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation.
The Azerbaijani peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan doubled in 2009. Currently, some 90 Azerbaijani servicemen are serving in ISAF. A company and then a battalion of peacekeepers were established as part of the Azerbaijani armed forces in 1997.
In the past, Azerbaijan has also actively supported the NATO's operations in Kosovo.