Azerbaijan, Baku, 7 April / Trend corr E. Huseynli/ The Azerbaijani peacekeepers which were withdrawn from Kosovo are expected to arrive in Azerbaijan by 20 April, Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry told Trend on 7 April.
At the beginning of March the Azerbaijani Parliament decided to withdraw the Azerbaijani peacekeepers from Kosovo due to the political situation which emerged in Kosovo after it separated from Serbia and proclaimed a one-sided independence.
In 1997, a peacekeeping detachment was formed at the National Army of Azerbaijan. A peacekeeping battalion was later established. The number of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan in Iraq totalled 150 soldiers and 34 in Kosovo. The Azerbaijani soldiers control 18 villages in Kosovo. There are 45 Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Afghanistan who patrol Kabul. Azerbaijan's peacekeeping detachment in Kosovo is operating within Turkey's Armed Forces. There are 45 Azerbaijani peacekeepers in Afghanistan patrolling Kabul.
According to the Azerbaijani legislation, the Parliament usually approves the decision to send Azerbaijani peacekeepers abroad and then withdrawing them.
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