BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. In today's world, with the global security setup and international order feeling the heat, the threats to regional peace are on the rise, retired Colonel Azer Garayev told Trend.

“Protecting our independence and ensuring the country's sociopolitical stability are important priorities. Azerbaijan's security forces, who are continuously on alert for our sovereignty, undertake this critical mission admirably,” he said.

He pointed out that the security forces' activities and their unwavering stance in bolstering national interests and sovereignty remain rock-solid.

“No foreign state can establish, extend, or pose risks to Azerbaijan's operative network. That was just brought to our attention. A gang attempting to construct a network here was successfully prevented. The discovery of a vast intelligence network from French intelligence services in Azerbaijan, active in numerous activities across Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, several Eastern European countries, the Middle East, and Central Asia, is entirely due to the efforts of our intelligence services. It just goes to show how well our security services are doing, with pros in these structures who know their job inside and out,” Garayev stated.

The colonel pointed out that Azerbaijan has become one of the most respected countries not just in the region but globally.

“This also breeds envy towards our country. At different times, powerhouse nations and players, like France, couldn't handle Azerbaijan's growth and tried various ways to mess with our country's affairs. It just shows the biased politics and double standards they have towards us. The chance of these attempts happening again isn't off the table. In this age of globalization and complicated global politics, our security forces in Azerbaijan are doing a solid job handling the tasks and duties given to them in our pretty fragile region. Our citizens need to stay sharp too – never become pawns for foreign agencies or fall under their influence,” he explained.