Proceeding from the indivisibility of security, Azerbaijan participates in the NATO-led peace support operations which are sanctioned by the UN Security Council resolutions. Azerbaijan participated in the NATO’s KFOR operation in 1999-2008. Azerbaijan also contributed to the NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan during 2002-2014.
Azerbaijan participated in the NATO’s Resolute Support Training, Advice and Assistance Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan since 1st January 2015 after the completion of ISAF. In January 2018, Azerbaijan increased the number of its peacekeepers in the RSM Mission from 94 to 120 servicemen, including 6 officers, who were represented at various headquarters of the RSM Mission, and also 2 military doctors.
The Government of Azerbaijan and NATO co-organized workshops and courses on “Civilian Oversight of the Armed Forces” for senior and mid-level Afghan officials since 2014. The last workshop on this subject was held on 17-21 September, 2018 at ADA University, Baku.
Azerbaijan actively participated in all relevant international political processes aimed at promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan. In 2017, Azerbaijan held co-chairmanship of the “Heart of Asia” process. On 28 June 2018, Azerbaijan hosted the meeting of International Contact Group on Afghanistan.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan implemented various bilateral assistance and cooperation programs, including military assistance for amount of millions of US dollars. The State Security Service, State Border Service, ADA University and other relevant agencies and institutions of the Republic of Azerbaijan have organized different training courses for the government representatives of Afghanistan on counter terrorism, border security, good governance etc. In addition, Azerbaijan expressed its readiness to train Afghan cadets in military educational institutions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the framework of the bilateral cooperation.
Afghanistan is successfully applied Azerbaijan’s practice of “one stop shop” public service centers of “ASAN Xidmət.”
By actively supported humanitarian mine action in Afghanistan, ANAMA conducted training and mentoring for Afghan experts in mine clearance, donated office equipment, and provided schools with books and manuals on mine awareness.
Azerbaijani military servicemen were actively involved in the evacuation process of NATO troops due to the end of the Mission in Afghanistan in 2021 by providing protection of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, which was a key task in the evacuation of the NATO forces from Afghanistan. As manifestation of our strong commitment to cooperation, Azerbaijan was among the last of the coalition forces in Afghanistan to leave the country at the end of August 2021.
NATO Mission Iraq (NMI)
NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) is a non-combat advisory and capacity-building mission that assists Iraq in building more sustainable, transparent, inclusive and effective armed forces and security institutions. The mission was launched at the NATO Summit in Brussels in July 2018, following a request from the government of Iraq, and established in October 2018.
At the 2024 NATO Washington Summit allies decided that the NMI would be expanded. Based on the request of the Iraqi government, the Allies announced that they would expand their support for the security institutions of this country and that they would continue their interaction with the Iraqi side within the NMI.
In 2019, the Republic of Azerbaijan expressed its intention to contribute to NMI. At the end of 2019, the North Atlantic Council recognized Azerbaijan as a potential operational partner for the NMI.