AZERBAIJAN: AFGHAN TRAINING SUPPORT DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 000120 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, EUR/RPM (ACOPE, RCARLAND),SCA/A (ARUSH) E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2020 TAGS: MOPS MARR PGOV PREL AF AJ SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: AFGHAN TRAINING SUPPORT DEMARCHE REF: STATE 14366 Classified By: Pol/Econ Counselor J. Robert Garverick, Reasons 1.4(b) a nd (d). ¶1. (C) POLOFF delivered Reftel demarche to Anar Jahangirli, chief of the Security Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jahangirli was unable to confirm Azerbaijani participation at the 23 February Force Generation Conference, but said that the Ministry of Defense had been properly informed. ¶2. (C) Regarding Azerbaijani contributions to ANSF training, Jahangirli said the GOAJ is finalizing proposals to present bilaterally to the Afghan government. He notedthat in 2009 the GOAJ had been very pleased withthe outcome of a USD 170,000 demining program that involved both the dispatch of Azerbaijani personnel to Afghanistan and training of Afghans in Azerbaijan. The GOAJ made other proposals to Kabul last year, he said, including offers by the Ministry of Defense to host Afghan cadets at the Military Academy and to negotiate a bilateral military cooperation agreement; and offers of training by the State Border Service and the Ministry of National Security, but the Afghan Government did not reply to those offers. Jahangirli said the offers Azerbaijan will make in 2010 will offer more specifics up front, but declined to provide upper or lower bounds to what the GOAJ intended to spend on the proposals, or how many personnel will be involved. ¶3. (C) Jahangirli also told POLOFF that Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Araz Azimov plans to visit Afghanistan (Kabul only) in mid-March for 3-4 days. He will seek meetings with senior ISAF commanders and with Ambassador Eikenberry. LU