February 6 – Minister of Internal Affairs of the Azerbaijan Republic Colonel General Ramil Usubov received Mr. Gulam M. Isakzai, the newly-appointed UN Resident Coordinator in our country, and Mr. Furio de Angelis, the new Head of the Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Azerbaijan.
Having welcomed the guests, the Minister congratulated them on the appointment, mentioned that the Ministry of Internal Affairs maintains close relations with the UN entities which carry out activities in our country and expressed the hope that this cooperation will further develop in the period of their work.
The Minister of Internal Affairs noted that our republic has been a member of the United Nations Organization for 25 years and active efforts are made so that relations with this credible organization develop and become many-branched and Azerbaijan could take a rightful place as an independent state on the global stage. Mr. Usubov emphasized that our republic made its contribution to even more effective activity of this organization which is responsible for maintenance of peace and security in the world.

Further, the Minister shared detailed information about challenging social, political and criminal situation in our republic during the first years of independence and the critical role of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev in the maintenance of nationhood and restoration of internal stability, having mentioned reforms and measures carried out in all spheres of public life including the internal affairs bodies and the progress achieved as a result of this. He noted that President of the country Mr. Ilham Aliyev continues and develops this policy. Today, all conditions created both for local residents and foreign citizens to safely live and work in our republic.

The Minister also noted that the policy of integration of our country into Europe and the democratization process initiated in the mid-1990s also touched the Ministry of Internal Affairs like other government agencies, having mentioned the new laws adopted to regulate police activities, a crucial role of experts from a number of developed countries and international organizations in elaboration of these laws, and the importance of these laws enforcement.
It was emphasized at the meeting that Azerbaijan maintains effective cooperation with many special entities and bodies of the UNO as a party to the UN Convention and protocols to it in the field of prevention of terrorism, transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, illegal migration and trafficking in persons. The Minister noted that in the past 5 years alone over 500 officers of the internal affairs bodies took an active part in various events held in the republic and foreign states at the initiative of the UNO.
Mr.Usubov also drew attention to the fact that the Ministry of Internal Affairs prioritize the implementation of the nationwide policy of human and civil rights and freedoms protection and improvement of the personnel professional training system and emphasized vital work carried out to ensure satisfaction of the community.

Having touched upon further professional development of the personnel, use of state-of-the-art communication technology and the latest achievements in science and technology in the police activities, Ramil Usubov mentioned the Automated Safe City System and 102 Hotline Service launched in the Ministry to provide prompt measures against any illegal acts, continuous and live monitoring of public tranquility and prompt measures in case of any emergency events.
The Minister also mentioned the ASAN Service centers of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations established 5 years ago by ordinance of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as one of the most successful projects in the sphere of improvement of satisfaction of the community and noted that the new service is one of the most effective tools to prevent corruption, bureaucracy and other similar negative trends.

Touching upon existing challenges, Mr. Usubov noted that severe types of transnational organized crime like international terrorism, illegal drug trafficking, trafficking in persons and illegal migration are always in the focus of attention in our country and emphasized the importance of joint efforts for effective prevention of these global threats.
Having expressed their gratitude for hearty reception and detailed information, Mr. Gulam M. Isakzai and Mr. Furio de Angelis noted that for the short period of their work in Azerbaijan they could see large-scale construction activities in the republic, development of the economy and effective maintenance of peace and security owing to discharge of duties by the law-enforcement agencies including the police at the highest level. The guests also stated that they will continue to make every effort to develop the cooperation between UNO entities in Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The parties also discussed a number of other matters of concern in the constructive and businesslike atmosphere of the meeting.