[A-List] Azerbaijan: NATO Expands Hold In Oil-Rich Caspian Sea Basin

[Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff@xxxxxxxxx>]

1) Baku: NATO 'Eager To Expand Strategic Cooperation
With Azerbaijan': Guarding Energy Supplies
2) Azeri Officer: "All NATO Member States" To Aid In
Patrolling Azerbaijan's Borders, Land And Sea
3) Baku: NATO Border Security Control Training Opens,
With Turkish Military Attache Praising Azeri
Deployments To Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq
4) Azeri Troops To Train In NATO Exercises At Home, In
Germany And Estonia
5) President Aliyev: Closer Ties To US Military, NATO
To Modernize Azeri Armed Forces




1)
http://www.azernews.net/eng/gizli/view.php?d=5412

Azernews (Azerbaijan)
March 15, 2004


NATO eager to expand strategic cooperation with
Azerbaijan

-General Wald stressed that NATO intended to expand
strategic cooperation with Azerbaijan and assist in
guarding this country?s energy resources.
-Admiral Johnson, on his own part, said: ?Azerbaijan
has rich natural resources in the Caspian Sea. The
cooperation between the U.S. and Azerbaijani navies
may ensure the security of theses resources."


Baku (AssA-Irada) - On Saturday Colonel General Safar
Abiyev, Defense Minister of Azerbaijan, received
General Charles ?Chuck? Wald, Deputy Commander of the
U.S. European Command, Admiral Gregory Johnson,
Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and
Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces in Southern
Europe, and other members of the Senior Advisory
Group.
Abiyev updated the delegation members on the
implementation of huge economic projects in Azerbaijan
that has been in active cooperation with the United
States and NATO within the Partnership for Peace
Program by joining the anti-terror coalition following
September 11, 2000 terror attacks in the United
States. ?The fact that Armenia has not yet given up
its aggressive policy and territorial claims against
Azerbaijan causes serious danger to the realization of
these projects,? Abiyev underlined.
General Wald, in turn, unveiling his stance towards
the failure in resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Upper Garabagh, said: ?I believe that
the conflict will find its solution in the nearest
future with support from the international community.
The primary issue that we are concerned over is to
ensure stability in the South Caucasus.?
General Wald stressed that NATO intended to expand
strategic cooperation with Azerbaijan and assist in
guarding this country?s energy resources. He also
expressed his gratitude to the leadership of
Azerbaijan for the country?s active part in fighting
the international terrorism.
Admiral Johnson, on his own part, said: ?Azerbaijan
has rich natural resources in the Caspian Sea. The
cooperation between the U.S. and Azerbaijani navies
may ensure the security of theses resources. Joint
activities in programs on non-proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction are also included in the sphere of
this cooperation.?
Touching upon the Cooperative Best Effort-2004 desert
training held in Azerbaijan, Admiral Johnson stressed
that ?the high-level organization of the training
would reaffirm that Azerbaijan was a leading country
in the region.?
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2)
http://www.azernews.net/eng/gizli/view.php?d=5410

AzerNews (Azerbaijan)
March 15, 2004

NATO to assist in guarding Azeri borders



Baku (AssA-Irada) - Lieutenant General Elchin Guliyev,
chairman of the Azerbaijan State Border Service, has
told journalists that all NATO member states are
scheduled to assist Azerbaijan in guarding borders.
According to Guliyev, the assistance would include the
organization of training and supply of equipment.
The NATO leadership earlier applied to the member
states with a request to help Azerbaijan ensure
security of its borders. Guliyev went on to say that
some measures on security of state borders had been
taken in the country following the recent terror
attacks committed in Turkey and Spain. He noted that
proposals on the vessels that are illegally sailing in
the Caspian Sea had also been submitted to the
government.
It is expected that the State Border Service be
assigned to carry out supervision on the vessels
illicitly sailing in the Caspian Sea.
-------------------------------------------------------
3)
http://www.azertag.com/en/index.shtml?language=english&catid=&news_year=&news_month=&news_day=&newsid=39985&themes_viewing=&themes_page=&themeid=&news_page=


AzerTag (Azerbaijan)
March 15, 2004

?BORDER SECURITY CONTROL? COURSES OPENED IN BAKU


-Azerbaijani peacemaking unit is worthily implementing
its duties in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, [military
attaché of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey
to Azerbaijan Omer Bayragli] stressed. Stability and
peace is possible in the Caucasus only after the
Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorny Karabakh conflict is
settled. The national leader of Azerbaijan President
Heydar Aliyev brought this idea to the notice of the
world community still in the Madrid meetings of the
NATO in 1997, he underlined.


On 15 March, the training Center of the Armed Forces
of Turkey, in the frame of PfP Program has opened in
Baku courses on ?Border security control? at the
training center of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan.


Chief of the Center, Colonel Lankaran Aliyev spoke of
the significance of the 5-day courses.

Greeting the guests on behalf of the defense ministry
of Azerbaijan, general-major Mammad Beydullayev said
that the mobile training group of the friendly country
arranges the courses, which are joined by
collaborators of the national security, Interior
ministries, staff members of the Customs committee and
Frontier Service.

Also speaking was at the opening the military attaché
of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey to
Azerbaijan Omer Bayragli, who stressed the urgency of
combating against terrorism and human trafficking in
the world, and that Turkey has always supported combat
against international terrorism in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani peacemaking unit is worthily implementing
its duties in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, he
stressed. Stability and peace is possible in the
Caucasus only after the Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorny
Karabakh conflict is settled. The national leader of
Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev brought this idea
to the notice of the world community still in the
Madrid meetings of the NATO in 1997, he underlined.


The key goal of the courses is to review the topics
?International security system?, ?Tasks, rights and
responsibilities of the frontier squad commanders?,
?Tasks of frontier troops?, ?Measures against border
violations?, ?Narcotics, human and weapons
trafficking?, ?Control on refugees and their safety?,
etc.
-------------------------------------------------------
4)
http://www.azertag.com/en/index.shtml?language=english&catid=&news_year=&news_month=&news_day=&newsid=39931&themes_viewing=&themes_page=&themeid=&news_page=

AzerTag
March 15, 2004

AZERBAIJAN SERVICEMEN TO PARTAKE AT NATO COURSES


In the frame of NATO ?Partnership For Peace? Program,
from March 15 to 19, in the city of Baku training
courses will be conducted on the topic ?Border
security?, in the German city of Oberammergau ?
?Management of the crises?, March 16-20, in the
capital of Estonia, Tallinn, the final conference of
trainings ?Combined Endeavor-2004?, in the city of
Rome, Italy, March 16-26, ?Inspection courses on
control of weapons?, in the US cities of Fort Hood and
capital of Latvia, Riga ? the second phase of
trainings ?Cooperative Nugget 2004?, the defense
ministry press service said.


According to the individual program signed between the
NATO and Azerbaijan Republic, the arrangements will be
attended by Azerbaijan militaries.
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.azernews.net/eng/gizli/view.php?d=5413

AzerNews
March 13, 2004

President Aliyev says Azeri-U.S. alliance will
continue in future

-Noting Azerbaijan?s close cooperation with the United
States and other member states within the NATO?s
Partnership for Peace Program, President Aliyev said
that NATO training programs were of great importance
to elevate the Azerbaijani Army to a high level. The
Azerbaijani President further voiced his confidence
that his country would continue to cooperate with the
United States to ensure the security of pipelines as
part of the Caspian Energy Resources Development
program.
-[General Wald] set the joint operations in Kosovo and
Afghanistan as an example for cooperation between the
Azerbaijani and U.S. military.



Baku (Assa-Irada) - On Saturday President Ilham Aliyev
received a U.S. delegation led by General Charles
?Chuck? Wald, Deputy Commander of the U.S. European
Command.
Noting that the Azerbaijani-U.S. relations are
developing successfully in all spheres, President
Aliyev said that bilateral cooperation was of great
importance to strengthen peace and security in the
region. He also expressed his regret about the
existing instability in the South Caucasus after the
occupation of Azerbaijan?s lands by Armenia and other
regional conflicts.
Underlining that Azerbaijan plays a very important
role in ensuring security in the region, Aliyev
underlined that he backed the peaceful solution to
conflicts within the international legal norms.
Stating that Azerbaijan joined the U.S.-led
anti-terrorism coalition following September 11, 2000
terror attacks, Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan was an
ally of the United States and this alliance would
continue in future.
Noting Azerbaijan?s close cooperation with the United
States and other member states within the NATO?s
Partnership for Peace Program, President Aliyev said
that NATO training programs were of great importance
to elevate the Azerbaijani Army to a high level. The
Azerbaijani President further voiced his confidence
that his country would continue to cooperate with the
United States to ensure the security of pipelines as
part of the Caspian Energy Resources Development
program.
Touching upon the fighting the global terrorism,
General Wald stressed that the recent terror attack
committed in Spain once again showed the necessity for
broad cooperation in this field. He set the joint
operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan as an example for
cooperation between the Azerbaijani and U.S. military.

Underlining that the Caspian border guard program
continues successfully, General Wald expressed the
necessity for close cooperation among the Caspian
states in this respect. He particularly stressed that
Azerbaijan?s current foreign policy substantiated to
say that there would be positive changes in settlement
of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Upper
Garabagh.
Reno Harnish, the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, also
attended the meeting.







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