Today.Az » Politics » Uzeir Jafarov: "Our cooperation with NATO comes to ensuring security of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and peacekeeping operations"
22 February 2008 [10:59] - Today.Az
"We have been cooperation with NATO in the framework of the program of Partnership for Peace since 1994 however, no real steps have been made for integration with NATO and transfer to the standards of this organization in the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan through the last 14 years".
The due announcement was made by military expert Uzeir Jafarov at a round table on the situation in the military structures of Azerbaijan, Novosti-Azerbaijan reports.
"Our cooperation with NATO comes to ensuring security of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and peacekeeping operations. Such situation can not be called the integration with NATO", he noted.
He said of all force structures, the most skilled ones are those of the State Frontier Service rather that those of the Defense Ministry.
"The Defense Minister has turned into a political figure and more resembles the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as he pays visits to other countries instead of strenthening the defense potential of the country. There is almost no different between the Ministry of Defense and the Joint Staff. In the result of it, Joint Staff is absent in Azerbaijan, which is in a state of war", Jafarov announced.
The expert also considers it necessary to pass from the quantitative to qualitative indicators and train skilled army in Azerbaijan.
"IN this connection I consider it necessary to reject arms purchasing from the CIS countries. It is necessary to start purchasing higher quality arms and military technique from the West", Jafarov added.
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