Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan is recalling its peacekeepers serving in Iraq as part of the international coalition forces, a lawmaker has said.
Zahid Oruj, a member of the parliamentary commission on security and defense issues, said the withdrawal from the coalition was due to the expiration of the agreement to serve in Iraq.
"Azerbaijan`s peacekeepers have served in Iraq for five years, and a relevant agreement expires this December," the MP said.
Oruj ruled out any political motive behind the recall, noting that Kazakhstan, Poland and other countries had withdrawn their peacekeeping forces from the country earlier. "Moreover, the most actively involved military - the British army - has said it would withdraw its peacekeepers next year. Barack Obama has also stated he would recall the US peacekeeping mission."
Oruj noted that President Ilham Aliyev has forwarded an appeal to parliament to consider the recall of Azerbaijani peacekeepers. He expressed hope that a draft law would be approved by parliament after the issue is discussed in the legislature.
Azerbaijan`s 150-troop-strong contingent, serving under the US command, has been guarding a water storage facility near the town of Al-Hadida and a hydro-power plant supplying 30% of the country`s production of electricity. One Azerbaijani peacekeeper has died during the country`s five years of service in Iraq.
Azerbaijan, which joined NATO`s Partnership for Peace program in 1994, set up its first peacekeeping unit in 1997. The country`s peacekeeping forces were dispatched for the first time to Kosovo in 1999. Since 2003, Azerbaijani peacekeepers, along with serving in Iraq, have also been serving alongside coalition forces in Afghanistan.