Oklahoma–Azerbaijan National Guard Partnership

The Oklahoma-Azerbaijan National Guard Partnership is one of 25 European partnerships that make-up the U.S. European Command State Partnership Program and one of 88 worldwide partnerships that make-up the National Guard State Partnership Program.^[2]

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiyev, holding a meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Baku in June 2010.

U.S. airmen assigned to the Oklahoma Air National Guard unload supplies from a C-130 Hercules aircraft onto a Russian truck in Azerbaijan in May 2007.

Minister of Defense for Azerbaijan (in cowboy hat) presenting Adjutant General of Oklahoma, with a gift from Azerbaijan.

An Oklahoma Air National Guard member offload supplies in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Oklahoma-Azerbaijan State Partnership

Part of the U.S. European Command State Partnership Program
Origin	2003
Country president	Ilham Aliyev
Prime minister	Ali Asadov
Minister of defense	Zakir Hasanov
Ambassador to U.S.	Khazar Ibrahim
Ambassador to Azerbaijan	Robert Cekuta
State Governor	Kevin Stitt
Adjutant general	Thomas Mancino
2012 Engagements	12[1]
NATO member	No
EU member	No

History

• State Partnership was established in 2003^[3]
• Armenia–Azerbaijan relations are prominent in Azerbaijan's political and military agenda.
• Azerbaijan seeks to balance relations with neighbors Russia and Iran with that of the US and the West.^{[citation needed]}

Partnership mission

• Emphasis on enabling coalition support.
• Renovation on airfields in Azerbaijan
• Medical University MOUs and Agreements
• Build on established Agriculture University MOUs and current partnerships, USAID and DTRA projects.

Proposed cooperation:

• NATO Interoperability Cooperation
• Hone Agriculture and University Cooperation^[4]