Baku committed to back Afghan-led state building
Azerbaijan is committed to continue its full support to Afghan-led state and institution building, said Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
Mammadyarov, addressing the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan on October 5, stated that Azerbaijan, as a country which itself strongly suffered from the 25-year unresolved conflict, full-heartedly understands Afghanistan’s problems.
“We all have to extend to Afghanistan our support in all their endeavors and challenges,” he said, emphasizing that Azerbaijan is among probably the first, closest, and most active supporters of Afghanistan to this end.
“We do it mostly bilaterally through the constant talks and meeting with Afghanistan authorities, but also through other international platforms, including at NATO.”
Mammadyarov reminded that the country continues providing substantial training for Afghan security personnel, government employees, demining and other activities, including education.
“Less than a month ago, President Ilham Aliyev approved Azerbaijan-Afghanistan agreement on multimillion assistance mostly in security area. Its implementation is already underway,” the minister said.
Mammadyarov went on to say that the Azerbaijani troops serve at the Resolute Support Mission and they rend financial assistance to Afghan Army through the NATO Trust Fund. “My country is a major transit route for international operations in Afghanistan and at some point more than 30 percent of entire transit for ISAF was via Azerbaijan,” the top diplomat noted.
Azerbaijan has always championed beefing up security efforts with economic development, said Mammadyarov, mentioning that reviving ancient Silk Road can do exactly that.
“Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey are completing Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, which in conjunction with a new international seaport near Baku and involvement of Central Asian countries will put Afghanistan right in the middle of the transit link between Far East and North Europe,” Mammadyarov added.
Azerbaijan is among the eight partner countries that have confirmed their presence in Afghanistan after 2014.
Azerbaijan's military personnel have been part of the ISAF contingent in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. The mission of the armed forces in Afghanistan began on November 20, 2002. The Azerbaijani peacekeeping contingent in Afghanistan doubled in 2009.
As of April 2016, the Azerbaijani peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan includes 90 servicemen, two medical officers and two sappers.
Azerbaijan also decided to broaden its activities in Afghanistan's non-military areas. Geography has of course played an important role in bringing the two nations together.
Azerbaijan, with its great experience in the oil sector has attracted Afghanistan’s economy. Also, Afghanistan is interested in the electricity production via natural gas, the mining sector and petroleum.