Secretaries of the Russian and Azerbaijani security councils Nikolai Patrushev and Ramiz Mehdiyev have had a meeting in Moscow, according to the Russian Security Council’s website.
Patrushev and Mehdiyev discussed issues relating to Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation in security.
The security council secretaries signed a plan for cooperation for regular information and consultations at the level of security councils, law enforcement authorities and intelligence agencies.
The Deputy Director General of the Trend information agency, political commentator Arzu Nagiyev, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that first of all, the parties will cooperate in the field of combating terrorism.
"To date, there are security threats to both Azerbaijan and Russia from several terrorist groups that are fighting in Iraq, Syria and other places, in particular, there is a threat on the southern border of Russia with Azerbaijan from terrorist organizations related to ISIS, Taliban and others," he said.
In addition, the expert recalled the threat of energy security. According to him, today both countries participate in projects that ensure the security of energy resources. "In addition, Azerbaijan and Russia, as members of the CIS, coordinate their actions on security issues in the region," Arzu Nagiyev drew attention.
At the same time, he stressed that normal relations have long been established between Azerbaijani and Russian special services.
A political analyst, Candidate of Historical Sciences Oleg Kuznetsov, in turn, recalled that Russia and Azerbaijan have been actively cooperating in the sphere of security since 1992. Their main areas of activity are cross-border and trans-border cooperation, ensuring the security of state borders.
The two countries also cooperate in the Caspian, in combating maritime smuggling and poaching, and here already Azerbaijan provides assistance to Russia.
Russia and Azerbaijan jointly oppose extremist groups. Another direction is cybersecurity, Oleg Kuznetsov said.
"We have a very broad interaction between law enforcement agencies and special services in countering drug trafficking. Another very serious issue is the illegal spread of firearms. In general, after joint actions by Russia and Azerbaijan, the South Caucasus region has become much safer," the expert concluded.
