Baku hosted an international conference themed “Afghanistan: regional connectivity, security and development”, organized by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (SSS), gathering representatives of special service agencies from 20 countries, the State Security Service told AZERTAC.

In his opening remarks, Chief of the SSS, Colonel General Ali Naghiyev highlighted that following previous meetings on Afghanistan the organization of the current conference in Baku is an important event and expressed his hope that the international event will significantly contribute to the establishment of a centralized state in Afghanistan that adheres to the norms and principles of international law.

The SSS Chief touched upon the Azerbaijan-Afghanistan relations, which have stood the test of many years and are built on mutual trust, as well as the deep historical and cultural ties between the peoples, noting that Azerbaijan has always supported international initiatives to ensure internal political stability and security in Afghanistan and has never spared its efforts in this direction.

Colonel General Ali Naghiyev also underscored the need for comprehensive support from the world countries to Afghanistan's fight against transnational organized crime, including international terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal migration.

Stressing that one of the main goals of the event is to present a unified position in preventing the destructive attempts of disruptive forces and terrorist groups interested in maintaining tension in Afghanistan, Chief of the Service Ali Naghiyev noted the importance of Afghanistan taking its place in the system of international relations and ensuring peace in this country, and expressed his belief that the countries of the region and other states will make coordinated actions and joint efforts to achieve all this.

Representatives of other countries also made speeches on the topic at the conference, expressing their belief that the event will open up the necessary opportunities for taking more serious steps towards ensuring peace and security in Afghanistan and that the international community will support the formation of lasting stability in Afghanistan.