“State Border Service will carry out large-scale exercises in September”
Baku. Rashad Suleymanov – APA. Chief of Azerbaijani State Border Service, commander of Border Troops, Lieutenant-General Elchin Guliyev interviewed by APA
-Please, give information about the reforms carried out in Azerbaijan Border Security.
-Azerbaijan Border Security has developed and has a great potential to fulfill any task in ensuring border security. This development is based on Azerbaijan’s border security strategy initiated by national leader Heydar Aliyev and extension of this strategy by Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. Due to the State Program on “Technical development of Azerbaijan’s state border security for 2006-2010” confirmed by President on December 27, 2005, strong border security infrastructure meeting modern standards was established. Border units system meeting modern standards was established along the border, it was supplied with modern weapons, border aviation was formed, radar systems, modern observation and detecting devices were applied. Security of the state border by operation was strengthened, Academy of State Border Service was established. Important steps were taken shift from physical protection of state border to operation and technical security, border checkpoints and border guard ships were staffed. Some days ago Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev participated in the opening ceremony of “Serhedchi” Sport Olympic Center established in Baku. President appreciated the state of Azerbaijan State Security. Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s praise inspirited all border guards to gain new achievements.
-What can you say about the operation conditions in Azerbaijan’s state borders and near our borders?
-The situation in the state border is stable. I want to note that we are following the developments near our state borders and they are taken into consideration in organizing the service.
-State Border Service has been commissioned to ensure security in Azerbaijan-section of the Caspian Sea, security of infrastructure of production and transportation of hydrocarbon resources. Please, give information about these tasks.
– We give special importance to fulfillment of above-mentioned duties. The Coast Guard was established within the State Border Service by presidential order in 2005. The Coast Guard’s new base was built in Turkan district of Baku within the State Program on “Technical development of security of state borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2006-2010”. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief attended the inauguration of the base on November 8 last year and was familiarized with the service conditions there and made special recommendations on allocation of diving equipments, creation of opportunities for fulfillment of special duties, strengthening of border patrol boats and technical observation posts and extension of disclosure opportunities. The patrol boats were equipped with modern radiolocation systems and weapons, as well as provided with additional maneuver opportunities. The State Border Service will receive special vessels floating in hard weather conditions in the days coming. The annual tactic exercises on “Combat and rescue operations for prevention of threats against coastal areas, islands, oil pipelines and platforms” have great importance for training of coast guards and strengthening of ties between different border units. According to the annual plan of actions, the SBS will hold large-scale exercises in September. Our achievements are the results of government’s care for border security issues. It enabled us to create modern and perfect infrastructure of the Coast Guard to secure national interests and to provide security on the sea. This work will be continued in future.
– What about the cooperation and relations between your organization and border services of other countries?
– There is a dynamic development of cooperation and relations between the border services of neighboring countries. We established and developed valuable mutual relations with border services and officials of Russian Federation, Georgia, Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The important achievements were reached on delimitation of state border with Russian Federation and Georgia and important part of common border line was agreed. The bilateral and multilateral relations with the border services of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran on the sea are developed. We organized joint sea exercises together with Russia and Kazakhstan. Chiefs of the borders services of Caspian littoral states held bilateral meetings. Baku hosted trilateral working meetings between Azerbaijan-Russia-Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan-Russia-Iran. The situation of security on the Caspian Sea and tendencies of its future development were discussed at the meetings. Chiefs of the Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan border services will be invited to the next working meetings, which are planned to be held in five–sided format.
APA – Rashad Suleymanov