Restoration and maintenance of the State Independence
Azerbaijan has a centuries-long history of statehood and established
the first ever-democratic Republic in the East in 1918. Azerbaijan lost
its state independence in 1920 only to restore it in 1991 in the wake of
the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The people of Azerbaijan
benefiting from the opportunity to foster greater democratic values have
chosen the path of building a modern democratic State based on its
national statehood traditions, historical and cultural heritage. In the
early years of its independence, the young Republic faced the military
aggression of Armenia, internal instability, hardships of a transition
period and other serious challenges. Nevertheless, the Republic of
Azerbaijan under the leadership of its national leader Heydar Aliyev
overcame all the difficulties and, having succeeded in identifying and
following a consistent approach to strategic development, is now
transforming into an economically and politically dynamic modern State
and consolidating its global and regional position. In this latter
regard, Azerbaijan is becoming an important and in many cases a decisive
country to cooperate with in the Caspian-Caucasus region, and plays an
indispensable role in the realization of the regional energy and
transportation projects.
The ultimate goal of this overall strategy
is to ensure the prosperity, sustainable development and well-being of
the Republic of Azerbaijan and to contribute to maintaining security and
stability in the whole region. The National Security Concept
(hereinafter the "Concept") is a set of goals, principles and approaches
to the policies and measures, which underline the independence,
territorial integrity and democratic development of the country,
integration into the Euro-Atlantic area as the strategic choice, and
multidimensional and balanced foreign policy, as well as are directed at
the protection of the individuals, society and State in the Republic of
Azerbaijan against internal and external threats.
Security environment
The security environment of the Republic of Azerbaijan is derived
from a set of factors, which affects the protection of the State
sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, national
interests, and ensuring sustainable development, values of the people
and their prosperity. Geographically located at the crossroads of the
West and East, the Republic of Azerbaijan has embraced the positive
elements of various civilizations. The Republic of Azerbaijan shares the
European values and as an inalienable component of the Euro-Atlantic
security, architecture contributes to the security of this area. At the
same time, the Republic of Azerbaijan, as part of the Islamic world,
shares the progressive heritage and spiritual values of the Islamic
civilization. The currently unstable region where the Republic of
Azerbaijan is located has vast potential and opportunities, which can be
used effectively for development in a friendly and cooperative manner
with regional and wider international partners. The rich natural
resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan open perspectives for the
country's prosperity and national welfare and transform the country into
an important energy source and a crucial integral part of the
international energy supply system. The development of international
transportation and communication corridors, including the construction
of oil and gas pipelines, already contribute to the development of the
economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and of its partners, and is a
salient example of regional cooperation.
This geographic location
provides important advantages, but is also a source of a number of the
security challenges facing the country. The most important and vivid
example of such challenges is the aggression committed by neighboring
Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan, as a result of which a
considerable portion of the country was occupied and approximately one
million Azerbaijanis were displaced or became refugees. The aggression
was accompanied by serious crimes against peace and humanity, including
genocide and terrorist acts against the citizens of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, whilst the occupied territories provide fertile ground for
illegal activities pursued by transnational organized criminals,
including international terrorist groups. Azerbaijani historical,
cultural and archeological monuments on the territory of the present-day
Armenia and in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan
were massively destroyed, its natural resources were plundered and the
environment was damaged.
The aggression against the Republic of
Azerbaijan is a major determinant of the country's security environment
and is a key factor in the formulation of the National Security Policy.
At the same time, the existence of such threats in the security
environment of the Republic of Azerbaijan as international terrorism,
illegal migration, trans-national organized crime, human and drug
trafficking and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction set
certain tasks for the country.