BAKU: Azerbaijan has no intention of deploying its troops for peacekeeping missions outside its borders, including in Gaza, President Ilham Aliyev said late on Monday.
Speaking in an interview with Azerbaijani television channels, President Aliyev said his country had been in contact with the US administration of former President Donald Trump regarding the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan had submitted a detailed questionnaire containing more than 20 questions to the American side to seek clarity on the structure, mandate, and operation of the proposed force.
“We prepared a questionnaire of more than 20 questions and provided it to the American side. No participation in peacekeeping forces is envisaged,” Aliyev said.
He added that Azerbaijan was not considering involvement in any military operations or hostilities outside its national borders.
“I am not considering participation in hostilities outside Azerbaijan at all,” the president said.
An Azerbaijani government source had earlier stated in November that Baku would not contribute troops unless there was a complete ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, diplomats involved in the Gaza peace discussions said that despite serious concerns and fears of domestic backlash, most Muslim-majority countries engaged in the process believe the proposed ISF must succeed. They argue that only an international force with a clear mandate can ensure the security and survival of Palestinians in Gaza.
“Israel has already killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, and only an international force with a clear mandate can stop this genocide,” a diplomat from a Muslim country involved in the process told Dawn.
Another diplomat acknowledged that joining the ISF would place contributing countries in a highly difficult position but warned that the alternative, continued bloodshed in Gaza was unacceptable