Azerbaijan, Baku, July 16 / Trend A. Huseynbala /
Azerbaijani peacemakers, consisting of 43 officers and soldiers, have returned home from Afghanistan.
"43 Azerbaijani peacemakers had been sent to Afghanistan on rotation," deputy head of the press-service for the Azerbaijani defense ministry, Teymur Abdullayev, told Trend on July 16.
The company of peacemakers was created as part of the Azerbaijani national army in 1997 but later became part of the peacemaking battalion. 150 soldiers did military service in multinational forces in Iraq and 34 military men from the Azerbaijani armed forces served in Kosovo. Azerbaijani military men controlled 18 Kosovan villages. In Kosovo the Azerbaijani peacemakers operated in the Turkish peacemaking forces.
45 Azerbaijani peacemakers served in the International Security Assistance Force. They carried out patrols in Kabul. In October Parliament decided to double the number of peacemakers and bring their number up to 90.
Kosovo, officially part of Serbia, has been under the authority of the UN since 1999. Kosovo separated from Serbia and declared independence on February 17. Official Belgrade does not intend to accept Kosovo's proclaimed independence. Several countries, including the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France and Turkey have already recognized Kosovo's independence. Russia, Spain, China, Greece and Georgia support Belgrade's position and do not intend to recognize Kosovo's independence. Azerbaijan has also refused to recognize Kosovo's independence.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at [email protected]