Azerbaijan has emerged as an important contributor to the efforts to restore and stabilize Afghanistan in the wake of conflict. Recently, Azerbaijan announced its intention to continue providing aid to Afghanistan as it develops both economically and socially. In the past, Azerbaijan’s support has included significant financial assistance, training, military troops, and transportation for NATO’s Resolute Support Mission, as well as more than 1 million euros to the Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund. Azerbaijan has also pledged to donate an additional 2 million euros to the fund by the end of 2017.
Recognizing that more than military aid is needed to achieve sustainable peace, Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov pointed to other opportunities for support during a NATO meeting in May 2015. He identified education, infrastructure development, investment, and financial aid as other major areas in which his country has assisted Afghanistan. He also noted that the University of Azerbaijan offers annual governance training opportunities to Afghan officials. In addition, the Azerbaijani Mine Agency has overseen mine awareness projects for the Afghan people.
In the immediate future, the Azerbaijani Emergency Ministry will sign a memorandum that will enable Afghan nationals to obtain a four-year education at its Academy. Other institutions in Azerbaijan currently provide training for law enforcement and government officials, and the country is additionally funding the construction of a school in Afghanistan.
During the NATO meeting, Mammadyarov also discussed the importance of regional transportation infrastructure in facilitating development in Afghanistan. By connecting Afghanistan to Europe, trade will increase and the ancient Silk Road can be restored to further facilitate economic growth. An important leg of this connection is the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which will link the city of Kars, Turkey, to Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku via a route through Tbilisi, Georgia. Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has noted the benefits of the project for his country.
Afghanistan and Azerbaijan have enjoyed a strong diplomatic relationship since 1994, and that relationship is on course to strengthen. To achieve security, Afghanistan needs solid relationships with all of its neighbors. In 2012, the embassy of Afghanistan to Azerbaijan opened its doors, creating an important symbol of cooperation between the two nations.