The event was attended by representatives of the government, heads of NGOs, Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Haley L. Wright and the head of the Department on combating human trafficking at the Interior Ministry Sharif Asadullayev.

Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at US Embassy in Baku William R. Gill said the human trafficking is a big threat for all countries, including Azerbaijan and the U.S. According to him, application of 4P mechanism - Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership is important: “partnership in this sphere is very important. In 2016, the embassy and the Department on combating human trafficking at the Interior Ministry organized an international conference. The law-enforcement agencies and different persons were coordinated as a part of this conference. One of the important programs executed by the U.S. in Azerbaijan are the programs on combating human trafficking”.

Thereafter, Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Haley L. Wright said the Department is closely following crimes in human trafficking: “My visit to Azerbaijan is related to this issue. We are closely working with our embassies in different countries in this sphere. In 2015 Azerbaijani government achieved progress in combating human trafficking. I thank Azerbaijan for close cooperation. We are expecting to continue cooperation in this sphere. This progress includes investigation of cases on human trafficking, following and punishing the criminals”.

Head of the Department on combating human trafficking at the Interior Ministry Sharif Asadullayev said the U.S. Department of State highly appreciated the works carried out by Azerbaijan in its 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report: “The embassy is regularly collaborating with the Interior Ministry in this sphere. 10 recommendations for Azerbaijan in the report will be systematically fulfilled”.

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