Azernews.Az

By Sabina Mammadli

U.S. Ambassador Lee Litzenberger has said that Azerbaijan has successfully protected its energy infrastructure and improved its capability to interdict smugglers of weapons of mass destruction and narcotics using U.S-donated equipment.

He made the remarks during a tour of the equipment donated by the U.S. Department of Defence to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee at the Astara border checkpoint, which has seen the majority of the country's drug seizures.

The ambassador joined State Customs Committee Deputy Chairman Javad Gasimov and other customs officials during the tour.

“Using the equipment we provided like x-ray scanners and radars, Azerbaijan has successfully protected its energy infrastructure, and improved its capability to interdict smugglers of weapons of mass destruction and narcotics,” the ambassador said.

The equipment the U.S. ambassador reviewed during the tour is valued at over $30 million to help the committee secure Azerbaijan’s borders and stop the smuggling of illicit goods.

Litzenberger noted the U.S. embassy’s 20-year relationship with the committee in countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and countering narcotics smuggling.

He expressed hope that this donation will be one more step in the 30-year U.S-Azerbaijani relationship and will enhance “our effectiveness in improving the security of Azerbaijan and the United States”.

“For 30 years we have worked with the Azerbaijani government and people on issues related to the rule of law, human rights, the economy, energy, and security,” the ambassador said.

Javad Gasimov emphasized the importance of US-provided equipment in the interdiction of drugs, weapons, and other contraband. He thanked the ambassador for U.S. assistance.

“There is no other partner like the United States in the world; you are second to none,” Gasimov noted.

It should be noted that this equipment is one of several tranches of security assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Defence program since 2019. The Department has committed more than $90 million to Azerbaijan’s counter illicit trafficking, border security, and maritime security efforts since 2019.

The U.S. Department of Defence has been an active partner with the State Customs Committee and other border security organizations in Azerbaijan since 2002. The donation of this equipment is one of several since 2019 to strengthen border security capabilities along Azerbaijan’s southern border and to assist the State Customs Committee in stopping the harmful impact of narcotics and other materials smuggled into or through Azerbaijan.

The department contributes to capacity building with partners around the world to defeat the illicit trafficking of goods, people, narcotics, and weapons. The U.S. European Command’s Joint Interagency Counter-Trafficking Center and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration work with the U.S. embassy to support Azerbaijan’s interdiction operations and investigations to secure their borders and protect their populations from transnational threats, organized crime, and violent extremists.

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