Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani Ambassador to the U.S. Elin Suleymanov met with the director of the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Kenneth Myers on April 12 at the headquarters of the agency, the Azerbaijani Embassy in the U.S. told Trend news agency.

Myers spoke about the experience of DTRA's successful cooperation with Azerbaijan, stressing that regular meetings of this kind are very important from the viewpoint of deepening and expanding the cooperation.

Azerbaijan's contribution to international initiatives in Afghanistan, including an important role the country plays in diversifying the routes for ensuring the security in Afghanistan, was highlighted.

The peacekeeping contingent of the Azerbaijani armed forces has been serving under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since 2002. The Azerbaijani peacekeeping contingent started serving along with 22-people-strong personnel and the number of the contingent was increased in 2008 and reached the level of a detachment.

The Azerbaijani parliament passed a decision in October 2009 to double the number of peacekeepers in Afghanistan to 90. The Azerbaijani servicemen are serving under the Turkish contingent in ISAF. Detachment personnel is protecting the TV tower in Kabul and an ISAF munitions storage as well as carrying out patrol service.

Ambassador Suleymanov said during the meeting that Azerbaijan is against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the government's support for the non-proliferation of such weapons is absolute and unchanged.

He also praised the contribution of the U.S. to the defense building in Azerbaijan.

DTRA director Myers termed the U.S. cooperation with Azerbaijan in the field of non-proliferation as a model of the future.

DTRA's cooperation with Azerbaijan began in 2004. Presently, cooperation in the field of nonproliferation of WMDs and reduction of biological threats is continued.