Day: January 15, 2024

Op-Ed: Netanyahu wholly embraced Trump. Now what? – Los Angeles Times https://t.co/El1pOfW8nC

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) January 15, 2024

Members of a transnational criminal group, engaged in making fake foreign documents, have been detained, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Trend, citing the State Security Service of Azerbaijan (SSS).

“In recent years, the many actions of transnational organized crime groups have been exposed. The [mentioned] group, using the ongoing processes between the states of the region, illegally provided citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan and other countries with fake documents of Ukraine (to live in various countries as citizens of Ukraine, to receive asylum, to travel freely without a visa),” the statement of the service reads.

“During the investigation, it was established that Ibadat Nuriev, who lived in Lviv (Ukraine), Farid Baghirov, who lived in Istanbul (Türkiye), and other persons illegally made passports, driver’s licenses, and other identity cards, as well as various documents related to Ukraine and sold them for various sums (up to $30,000 for each document, in cash) starting from January 2023,” said in the statement.

“As a result of measures taken by the State Security Service, the individuals were detained and brought under investigation in the Republic of Azerbaijan and charged with the illegal production, sale of fake documents and other criminal acts to use identity cards and other official documents authorizing and exempting them from holding a certain position,” the service said.

“Investigations have also uncovered persons operating fake documents in various countries. At present, active investigative and operational measures are being carried out on the mentioned and other related crimes,” the service said in a statement.

The post Azerbaijan Security Service detains transnational criminal group appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.

Azerbaijan is at the center of the attention of Western media, with its decisive steps following the victory in the Karabakh war, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Trend.

The pages of the French press are flooded with the political crisis in the Elysee Palace, the dilemmas, the vulnerable position of the failed Macron government, and Azerbaijan’s large-scale security agencies’ operations and offensive diplomacy.

Azerbaijan’s security services exposed the extensive spy network of French intelligence, which previously has been heavily promoted worldwide. The details of the operation have been partially mentioned in the media. Moreover, the agents of intelligence that France has positioned in reputable international organizations of other countries have found themselves in a predicament, facing the risk of exposure and international scandal.

Martin Ryan, a French spy, detained in Baku

Intelligence Online, a resource close to French state bodies, known for publishing information about the state from behind the closed doors, whose articles are presented on a subscription and paid basis, published an article on the latest events happening between Azerbaijan and France.

Intelligence Online said the following:

The position of DGSE (Directorate-General for External Security) in Baku was eliminated by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan. Diplomatic tensions are rising between Azerbaijan and France. The first blow from the security services came from Baku, expelling two French diplomats from the country between Christmas and New Year. As a matter of fact, Azerbaijan’s State Security Service forced the DGSE to shut down.

“- Can I speak to the secretary?” A male voice at the switchboard of the French Embassy in Baku hesitated, and after consulting with a colleague, replied, “He doesn’t work here anymore.” The same question about another secretary, who was two ranks lower, led to a similar answer.

On Dec. 26, the diplomatic office suddenly found its ranks dwindling. As President Ilham Aliyev was in Moscow that day to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) meeting, French Ambassador to Baku Anne Boillon was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. She was informed that the two diplomats had been designated “persona non grata” and given 48 hours to leave the country.

According to Intelligence Online, the two “secretaries” of the French Embassy were employees of DGSE who were under diplomatic cover. The head of the intelligence service was a Russian-speaking communication officer.

The shutting down of the DGSE in Azerbaijan – to which France reacted quickly and in turn expelled two “diplomats” from the Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris – was a new setback.

That followed the arrest of four members of the Directorate of Technology and Innovation (DTI, formerly DT) in West Africa’s Burkina Faso in early December, which led to the “destruction” of the intelligence system outside the country, as reported by Jeune Afrique (news agency).

Return

The State Security Service told media close to the government that the two men belonged to a regional spy network aimed at destabilizing the situation in Azerbaijan. Baku has also criticized France for supporting Yerevan in a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Karabakh in 2020.

The fiasco with DGSE have deeply irritated the French government. They attribute it to what happened after a series of coups d’état in the Sahel countries (biogeographic region in Africa) that undermined France’s position as a factor that precipitated Emmanuel Macron’s decision to dismiss diplomat Bernard Emie as head of intelligence. Prefect Nicolas Lerner, who was previously director of the DGSI (Directorate General of Internal Security), was appointed to take his place in the Council of Ministers and later took office.

The post Paris media talks Azerbaijani security agencies shocking French intelligence appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.

On January 12, Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Giorgi Khaindrava signed a contract with the Polish company MESKO S.A. on the purchase of an anti-aircraft missile system. The document was prepared within the framework of the development program of the Georgian Armed Forces.

According to the Defense Ministry, the Deputy Defense Minister and the representative of the Polish company also discussed the importance of introducing modern NATO-standard weapons in Georgia, which will help strengthen the country’s defense capabilities. The parties also discussed plans for cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and the Polish company.

According to its official website, MESKO is a manufacturer of military products with almost 100 years of production experience. MESKO is an eligible supplier for NATO troops, and its products are also used by the Polish Armed Forces.

Also Read:

• 27/01/2023 – Georgian-Polish Defense Venture Tests New Drones
• 28/09/2020 – Georgian Defense Ministry Purchases Spanish Drones

Georgia’s foreign trade turnover increased by 12.5% year-over-year in 2023, equaling USD 21.53 billion, according to express data released by the National Statistics Office (Geostat) on January 15. 

Exports from Georgia increased by 9.1% annually to USD 6.09 billion, while imports rose by 14.0% to USD 15.44 billion. Meanwhile, the trade deficit was USD 9.35 billion, 43.4% of total turnover. 

Source: Geostat

Geostat will publish the detailed data on external merchandise trade of Georgia on January 22, 2024.

Also Read:

• 13/12/2023 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 14.7% in January-November 2023
• 13/11/2023 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 16.2% in January-October 2023
• 19/10/2023 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 16.5% in January-September 2023
• 13/01/2023 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Up 32.8% in 2022