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