Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan continues to contribute to the achievement of security and stability in Afghanistan, Mohammad Taqi Khalili said on September 7 at an event dedicated to the national day of Afghanistan.

Ambassador of Afghanistan to Azerbaijan emphasized that Azerbaijan has increased the number of peacekeepers in Afghanistan.

“I witnessed the development of Azerbaijani-Afghan relations. In 2017, five documents were signed between Azerbaijan and Afghanistan in Baku, in particular in the spheres of economy, trade and security,” said Khalili, who is completing his diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan.

Ramiz Hasanov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, in turn, said that friendship and brotherhood are at the core of relations between the two countries.

“These relations have come a long cultural and historical way. Relations between Azerbaijan and Afghanistan are developing in both bilateral and multilateral formats,” he added.

The deputy minister noted that Afghanistan supports Azerbaijan’s fair position in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Afghanistan supports the resolution of the conflict on the basis of international law within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. All this attaches special importance to our relations,” Hasanov added.

The operation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will also give a special impetus to economic relations, he said.

“Azerbaijan continues to contribute to the restoration of Afghanistan. At present, the number of Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Afghanistan has reached 120 people. We have a great potential for further development of our relations,” the deputy minister said.

The peacekeeping contingent of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces has been serving under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since November 20, 2002. Azerbaijan, as a reliable partner of NATO and friend of brotherly Afghanistan, is committed to continue its significant contribution to the Resolute Support Mission by providing troops, multi-modal transit, training and financial assistance.

The country has several times made substantial donations to the Afghan National Army (ANA) Trust Fund. Moreover, Azerbaijan supports Afghanistan on its path of reforms towards integrating into regional and global economy.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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