NATO Special Representative: Lessons learned from joint military operations to speed up modernization of Azerbaijani armed forces

Baku, June 9 / Trend E.Ostapenko/

Joint military operations in Afghanistan and experience gained by Azerbaijan can be used as a catalyst to speed up the modernization of the Azerbaijani armed forces, NATO Secretary General’s new Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai said.

"The lessons learned which these soldiers bring home after their deployment, are very valuable," Appathurai said in an Interview with Trend on the eve of his visit. They can be used as a catalyst to speed up the modernization of the Azerbaijani armed forces."
Appathurai's first two-day visit to Azerbaijan as the NATO special representative will be held on Thursday. One of the issues on the agenda will be the discussion of the main areas of cooperation.

"I am coming to Azerbaijan to get acquainted with my interlocutors, to understand better the Azerbaijani perspective on key security issues, and to discuss the various strands of ongoing NATO-Azerbaijan cooperation," Appathurai said.

Speaking about military cooperation, Appathurai stressed the importance of joint efforts in the ISAF operation in Afghanistan.

"Azerbaijan units are serving since a number of years in Afghanistan with units of NATO nations in NATO’s most important operation - ISAF," he said. "Azerbaijani soldiers are cooperating every day with their Turkish colleagues as part of an infantry company that is performing important duties in and around Kabul."

The international coalition forces have been deployed in the country since 2001 when the U.S. began its war against international terrorism. The coalition includes 47 countries, 19 of which are not NATO members.

NATO-Azerbaijan military cooperation is substantial and continues at a steady pace, he said.

An important aspect of this cooperation evolves around standardization and enhancing interoperability between, on the one hand, selected Azerbaijani units and, on the other, units from NATO Allies and other partners, he said.
"NATO defence planners work together with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence," he said. "Together, they focus for instance on work required to ensure Azerbaijan’s peacekeeping battalion can communicate and work with units from other nations."

NATO experts also support the efforts by the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan to improve the military education and training programmes, using the experience of various NATO nations, he said.

Appathurai's first visit to Azerbaijan scheduled for March was cancelled due to the unforeseen developments in Libya and NATO’s role in implementing the military aspects of the UN Security Council Resolutions to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas.
Appathurai will be accompanied by Steffen Elgersma, Euro-Atlantic Partners Integration and Partnership Directorate and Zbigniew Rybacki, NATO Liaison Officer in the Caucasus, Romanian Embassy in Baku said earlier. The Embassy represents NATO in Azerbaijan.

The meetings with participation of Appathurai are planned to be held at the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the State Border Service and the Parliament.