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2/6/2003: EFFORTS TO INCREASE BORDER
SECURITY
On 6 February 2003,
Azerbaijani President Geydar Aliyev
met with senior border guard officials to discuss new border security measures. The major reasons for this initiative, according to State Border Guard
Commander Major General Elchin Guliyev,
are recent attempts by Middle Eastern terrorists to enter Azerbaijan on their
way
to Georgia's Pankisi Gorge. Guliyev noted that border regions in the northern
part of the country are particularly vulnerable to such incursions.
4/15-18/2002:
SIXTH FORUM ON EXPORT CONTROLS: BARRIER AGAINST WEAPONS OF MASS
DESTRUCTION, PROLIFERATION, AND TERRORISM
The Sixth Central Asia and Caucasus Nonproliferation Export Control Forum, Export Control: a
Barrier against Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism was held
on 15-18 April 2002 in Tashkent.
The Forum was co-sponsored by the US and Uzbekistani governments, and gathered
representatives from Central Asia, Caucasus, the United States, and Europe, as
well as experts in the field of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction
(WMD). The Forum addressed the
risks of WMD proliferation and terrorism, and the role of interagency
coordination and international cooperation to ameliorate these risks.[1] During the
plenary sessions, country representatives highlighted the progress made by their
governments in strengthening their export control systems in the past
year. Discussions focused on
national export control regulations and licensing processes, the possibility of
adopting the European unified control list, the regional Transit Agreement
currently under discussion among Central Asian and Caucasus countries, and
border security. At the end of the meeting, the delegates produced a list of
recommendations to bring back to their respective capitals, stressing, among
other things, the importance of completing and signing the Transit Agreement;
harmonizing export control systems by adopting the European Union control list
and standardizing end-user certificates; encouraging interagency cooperation and
involvement of the scientific community in the export control process; customs
officials training and creating export control command centers to assist their
work at the borders. The delegates also underscored the importance of
facilitating information sharing and coordination, particularly when
trafficking incidents occur in the region.[2]
In his speech to the Forum, Ali Isa
Mamedov, Senior Advisor on International Economic Relations to the Azerbaijani
Cabinet of Ministers, reported that measures to establish an effective export
control system in Azerbaijan are underway. The Azerbaijani Parliament, the Milli
Medzhlis, is reviewing the draft of a comprehensive, 14-article export control
law.
Azerbaijan is also developing a control list based on that of the European
Union, as well as export licensing procedures, an automated licensing system, and
supporting legislation that will go into effect once the export control law is
in place. In addition, Mamedov noted that the Azerbaijani customs service has signed
regional cooperation agreements with Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.[3]
7/5/2000: US ALLOCATES $100,000 AND PATROL
BOATS TO AZERBAIJAN
During a visit to the United States, Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Ramiz
Melikov announced that the United States
has agreed to provide Azerbaijan with two US patrol boats and $100,000
in aid to Azerbaijan's border and customs services. The US assistance is
the result of a joint Azerbaijani-US declaration on military cooperation that was
adopted by the US Congress during Melikov's stay in the United
States. Melikov noted that the aid is being provided in spite of Section
907 of the Freedom Support Act, which prohibits the US from providing aid to
Azerbaijan.
6/17/2000: AZERBAIJANI ENVOY TO SAUDI ARABIA DENIES
REPORT ON SMUGGLING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Dr. Aylman Arasli, the Azerbaijani ambassador to Saudi
Arabia, denied rumors that Azerbaijan is involved in the smuggling of nuclear
weapons and warheads to Islamic countries in the Middle East. For more
information, see the NIS Nuclear
Trafficking Database.
9/28/99: US, AZERBAIJAN SIGN
NONPROLIFERATION ACCORD
On 28 September 1999, US Deputy Secretary of Defense
John Hamre and Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Tofik Zulfugarov signed
an agreement pledging cooperation on the counterproliferation of nuclear,
chemical, and biological weapons and related materials. Under terms of
the agreement, the US Department of Defense and the US Customs Service will
train and equip Azerbaijani officials in preventing, deterring, and
investigating incidents involving the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction materials. Zulfugarov noted that this was the first
bilateral agreement in the field of security signed by Azerbaijan and the
United States.[1,2]
2/2/99: TURKISH SECRET SERVICES CONFISCATE
URANIUM
Turkish agents in the western Turkish city of Bursa
seized 100g of enriched uranium from four dealers who had smuggled it into
Turkey from Azerbaijan.[1] The Azerbaijani National Security Ministry refused
to comment on the case, arguing that since Azerbaijan has no uranium the
material must have originated in Russia.[2] For more information, see
the NIS Nuclear Trafficking
Database.
2/16/98: US DOE AND DOD OFFER EXPORT CONTROL
ASSISTANCE
At the third forum for coordinating technical
support to the NIS in Vienna, the US Departments of Defense and Energy
expressed their willingness to help set up border checkpoints in Azerbaijan
to control the export and import of radioactive materials.
7/15/97: CUSTOMS TO TIGHTEN CONTROL OVER
RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
In July 1997, the government of Azerbaijan issued a
decree requiring the installation of automated radiation detection equipment
at all customs control posts at the nation's airports and seaports, and on its
highways and railroads. The equipment will be installed in
1997-1998. The decree requires all organizations and enterprises that
operate in Azerbaijan to inform the appropriate ministries and state agencies
of any imported or exported radioactive material. In addition, special
insurance documents will be required for the transport of such
materials. All organizations and enterprises in Azerbaijan in possession
of radioactive materials are required to submit an inventory to the
appropriate ministries and state agencies before 15 December 1997.
8/19/96: REPORT OF ATTEMPTED SMUGGLING DENIED
The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Security of Azerbaijan
both denied a Russian NTV report that a group of scientists had been arrested
for attempting to smuggle four kilos of uranium from Azerbaijan.
Page last updated 6 August 2003 Comments or questions? Contact Kenley Butler at
MIIS CNS: Kenley.Butler@miis.edu
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