Azernews.Az

NATO calls for Azerbaijan's participation in the restoration process in Afghanistan, the alliance's representative on South Caucasus and Central Asia said upon completion of his visit to Baku on Saturday.
Robert Simmons recalled that Azerbaijan has recently increased the number of its peacekeepers in Afghanistan. "If further steps in this area are taken, this will boost the country's contribution."
Azerbaijani peacekeepers have been serving in Afghanistan since 2002. Their number was raised from 22 to 44 late in 2007. The figure may increase further.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim said Azerbaijan was ready to provide assistance to Afghanistan. Baku has already started talks on the matter with the Afghan government.
The NATO official also said he had discussed with Azerbaijani officials the recent move to recall peacekeeping forces from Kosovo.
"Government dignitaries elaborated on the reasons for the decision, and I appreciate that. We understand that the situation with the operations there can change any moment. However, I would like to note that the KFOR operation of the international peacekeeping forces in Kosovo continues in accord with the UN Resolution 1244," Simmons said.
The Azerbaijani parliament approved the recall of peacekeepers from Kosovo on March 4. Baku explained the measure by the changed political situation in the Serbian province.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17. Baku criticized the move, saying it did not recognize it as an independent state. Armenians hope for the application of the Kosovo model in Upper Garabagh. Azerbaijani officials have dismissed the claims.
Simmons went on to say that NATO was seeking to boost Azerbaijan's experience in safely transporting Caspian energy resources to European markets.
"Certainly, we are not talking about sending NATO troops here. We are simply looking to contribute to raising Azerbaijani security institutions' governance skills," he said.
Simmons said that if Azerbaijan applied for NATO membership, the alliance was ready to review its bid.
"NATO has recently endorsed the second stage of the joint Individual Partnership Plan (IPAP). We welcome the fact that it is a forthcoming document that has a significant number of new goals…The NATO leadership believes that this program should be implemented in parallel with integration, while intense dialog is required for membership, which is not under way with Azerbaijan at this point."
The alliance representative said the IPAP's second stage envisions involvement of the State Border Service as well as the Ministries for Interior, National Security and Emergency Situations. As for increasing public oversight over the military, civic bodies such as the parliament will be drawn to these activities in the future.