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Friday, March 29, 2024

U.S. report shows Azerbaijan strengthens counter-terrorism efforts

The U.S. State Department said in the 2013 Country Reports on Terrorism released last week that Azerbaijan is continuing to strengthen its counter-terrorism efforts.

"Azerbaijan maintained its strong counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States and actively opposed terrorist organizations seeking to move people, money, and material through the Caucasus," the report said, according to AzerTAc.

The report also said Azerbaijan has continued to enforce counter-terrorism legislation adopted in 1999 that governs the investigation and prosecution of individuals who have committed or plan to commit terrorist acts.

"The Ministry of National Security is primarily responsible for combating terrorism, although the Ministry of Internal Affairs also plays a role as the country's primary law enforcement entity," the report said, AzerTAc reports. "Both ministries demonstrated the ability to detect and deter terrorist activities."

Additionally, the report said the officials from the State Department's Antiterrorism Assistant (ATA) program met with Azerbaijani officials to discuss the country's security needs and its ability to respond to acts of terrorism.

The two sides began developing a plan to continue training Azerbaijani security forces, and in late October, ATA delivered a Tactical Management of Special Events course to the Azerbaijani Presidential Protective Service unit, according to AzerTAc.