NEW MINISTER OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS OUTLINES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000217 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR EPET PTER PINR KFLU AJ SUBJECT: NEW MINISTER OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS OUTLINES AMBITIOUS AGENDA; LOOKS FOR ROLE IN PIPELINE SECURITY AND COUNTER-TERRORISM REF: A. 05 BAKU 1922 ¶B. BAKU 184 ¶C. BAKU 208 Classified By: Ambassador Reno L. Harnish III per 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: During a February 10 meeting with the Ambassador, newly appointed Minister of Emergency Situations Kamaleddin Heydarov outlined broad functions for his new ministry, ranging from civil defense to pipeline security and some counterterrorism functions. Heydarov said the new ministry would take over plans for a GOAJ crisis management center, required under Azerbaijan's NATO IPAP, and welcomed U.S. advice and assistance on this and a range of civil defense issues. Ambassador urged Heydarov to take an immediate role in coordinating the GOAJ's response to avian influenza, a situation Heydarov agreed requires a strong GOAJ response. With this far-reaching mandate, Heydarov likely will emerge from this cabinet reshuffle a much stronger player. The new ministry also could play an important role in strengthening inter-ministerial cooperation. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador, accompanied by DATT and Pol/Econ Counselor, paid a call on newly appointed Minister of Emergency Situations Kamaleddin Heydarov on February 10. Heydarov -- whose ministry was created by Presidential decree in December 2005 (refs a and b) -- outlined a broad range of functions for the new ministry, telling the Ambassador that he would be responsible for the prevention and management of both man-made and natural disasters. To that end, his ministry will take over the MOD's civil defense department, the fire safety department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the state water service, and a department that handles the destruction of radioactive materials. The State Committee on Material Resources and State Mining Committee also will be abolished and their functions assumed by the new Ministry of Emergency Situations. With the State Committee on Material Resources under its wing, the new ministry will be responsible for stockpiling emergency provisions of food, water and energy resources. Previously, the GOAJ had handled many of these functions through the State Committee on Emergency Matters (headed by Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov),which had been responsible for coordinating an inter-ministerial response to disasters. According to Heydarov, this committee will continue to exist but its composition -- including leadership -- will change. Heydarov indicated that he likely would take over as chair. PIPELINE SECURITY AND DEFENSE RESPONSIBILITIES -------------- - ¶3. (C) In response to a question from the Ambassador, Heydarov said the new ministry also will take on responsibility for pipeline security, a function currently shared by the Presidential Security Services, Maritime Border Guards and the Navy. (This responsibility is not explicitly spelled out in the two decrees creating the ministry.) Noting that he had been in his position just a few days, Heydarov said he was still working on the details of how the new ministry would handle this function but predicted that the ministry also would take on some counterterrorism responsibilities. Heydarov added that the GOAJ would model the new ministry on similar ministries in unspecified "other" nations. (Most local analysts believe the GOAJ is modeling the new ministry on the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.) Heydarov assured the Ambassador that however the GOAJ reworked pipeline security responsibilities, it would reflect the concerns and interests of both the GOAJ and the energy industry. ¶4. (SBU) Elaborating on the Ministry's new defense function, Heydarov said the GOAJ's civil defense troops are in extremely bad shape -- "zero" -- and need a great deal of help in both training and equipment. For example, Heydarov continued, the GOAJ does not currently offer civil defense training in schools, nor does it have proper stocks of gas masks. Commenting that the civil defense forces still are modeled on the old, Soviet system, Heydarov asked for U.S. help in all areas of civil defense. Heydarov would like to meet with appropriate counterparts from the United States, so he could apply lessons from the U.S. experience as he develops the new ministry. Noting that the new ministry will be responsible even for flood prevention and response, BAKU 00000217 002 OF 002 Heydarov said he would appreciate U.S. advice and expertise on dam building and river management. ¶5. (C) Heydarov said the new ministry also would be responsible for the creation of a crisis management center, a long-standing requirement under the GOAJ's NATO IPAP. Heydarov said he would welcome U.S. military support for the center. In response to DATT's explanation that the Azerbaijani MOD must be involved in order for the U.S. military to support the project, Heydarov stated that this would not pose a problem, as the civil defense troops that are about to be subsumed within the new MES are currently part of Azerbaijan's MOD. Moreover, Heydarov continued, he was given the rank of Colonel-General in the Civil Defense Forces when President Aliyev appointed him as minister, so he now has military rank. DATT promised to meet with Heydarov's deputy Rafael Mirzoyev to discuss possible areas of cooperation. (Mirzoyev currently serves as Deputy Head of the Customs Service and, according to Heydarov, will be named Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations later this week.) A ROLE IN MANAGING AVIAN INFLUENZA? -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Briefing Heydarov on USG concerns over the global threat posed by avian influenza, the Ambassador noted that avian influenza is an emergency situation that requires strong interagency coordination. With confirmation that the virus exists among fowl (ref c),Azerbaijan must take the situation seriously and marshal its interagency resources. The Ambassador suggested that the new ministry could play an important role in leading the GOAJ response. Listening carefully to the Ambassador's concerns, Heydarov agreed that this was an emergency situation that required a strong GOAJ response. His ministry, in coordination with the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, should play a key role in managing the problem. Heydarov pledged that he would raise the issue with the Prime Minister later that evening. (We subsequently heard that, over the weekend, Heydarov asked for a briefing on avian influenza from UNICEF, the agency that has been coordinating the UN response in Azerbaijan.) MINISTRY IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Throughout his conversation with the Ambassador, Heydarov made repeated reference to the fact that this is a brand-new ministry and he is still without staff, a headquarters or the resources necessary to take on his new mandate. (According to President Aliyev's February 6 decree appointing Heydarov as minister, the Cabinet of Ministers is charged with coming up with the necessary legislative, administrative and financial arrangements to support the new ministry within one month.) While Ambassador met with Heydarov in his offices at the Customs Service, Heydarov said he had already begun looking at properties to house the new ministry. He had identified a suitable property that requires at least six months of renovations. Until that building is ready, Heydarov expects to work out of civil defense headquarters. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Heydarov outlined a far-reaching and ambitious agenda for the new Ministry of Emergency Situations that parallels the mandate in the February 6 decree establishing the MES as the GOAJ's "central executive power body" on preventing and responding to crises. Nevertheless, the jury among Baku's chattering classes is still out on whether Heydarov's new appointment represents a promotion or a demotion, as it separates him from the lucrative Customs Service. If Heydarov's vision comes to fruition, his new apointment definitely will be a promotion, as his ministry will take over critical functions from more established power players such as the Ministry of Defense, the Presidential Security Service and possibly even the Ministry of National Security. Given his extraordinary influence within the GOAJ, Heydarov has a strong chance of pulling this off. Moreover, creation of a strong MES could help the GOAJ improve its weak and ineffectual inter-agency coordination mechanisms. HARNISH