Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Azerbaijan sent humanitarian aid to Afghan people who suffered from mud flows in the country.

The news was announced by Major-General Ilham Abdullayev, the Commander of Civil Defense Troops of Azerbaijani Emergency Situations Ministry on May 4.

Around 122 tonnes of humanitarian aid has been sent to Afghanistan under the decree of President Ilham Aliyev.

Humanitarian aid consisting of meat, vegetable oil, rice, tea, flour, and other products, as well as bedding, will be sent to the Azerbaijani embassy in Kabul and then handed to local authorities, Abdullayev said.

Over 2,000 people are believed to be buried in their homes following landslides in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province.

The landslides hit a village in the Argo district on May 2.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said a series of heavy rain-induced landslides struck northeastern Afghanistan, causing significant human loss and damage to houses and agricultural lands.

Azerbaijan, the most moderate, progressive, and democratic state among Muslim countries, cooperates with Afghanistan in different spheres.

There are several Azerbaijani investors in Afghanistan at the moment, including Azinco Company which has invested $25 million in refining, and plans to increase it to $55 million. The Mazar-i-Sharif oil refinery opened in Afghanistan by Afghan and Azerbaijani investments. The refinery currently recycles 500 tonnes of crude oil per day and its capacity is planned to increase 1,500 tonnes per day.

Military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Afghanistan is built on friendly terms, and bilateral relations are constantly developing, beneficial to both sides.

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.

The Azerbaijani peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan consists of 90 servicemen. A company and then a battalion of peacekeepers were established as part of the Azerbaijani armed forces in 1997. Azerbaijani peacekeepers are part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, in turn, fully supports the fair position of Azerbaijan in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.