In an eye-opening piece reported by EurasiaNet, author Shahin Abbasov discusses Azerbaijan’s recent foray into weapons manufacturing and its desire to become a full-fledged arms dealer in the region.
The government-owned AZAD Systems Company plan near Baku will begin production on two Israeli-licensed drone aircraft soon.
“The initiative is seen as a critical strategic element in Azerbaijan’s ongoing efforts to regain control over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. ‘Having such aircraft is important for gaining military superiority over Armenia,’ said Uzeir Jafarov, a colonel in the army reserves. ‘It is an irreplaceable armament for intelligence purposes in Nagorno-Karabakh now, and, in case of conflict, for the precise identification of the location, readiness and number of enemy troops,’” reports Abbasov.
“Other motivations are also involved. Israeli arms interest Azerbaijani officials since ‘the country’s military needs are largely ignored by Russia, Europe and the United States due to the Karabakh conflict,’ according to an alleged cable prepared by the US Embassy in Baku in 2009 and posted on the WikiLeaks website,” added EurasiaNet.
“Azerbaijani diplomats and military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told EurasiaNet.org that Baku wants to become more self-reliant in terms of weaponry. The chief concern among Azerbaijani military planners is that supplies of military equipment from Russia and/or the West could cease in the event that the Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia reignites,” explains Abbasov.
Read the entire report here.
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I’m from Nakhchevan. Our Defence Industry Ministry was established five years ago (2006). In this short period of time we have managed to achieve tremendous amount of progress. Just recently we opened two more defence industry factories near Absheron peninsula. Currently, there are 26 military equipment manufacturing plants and factories operating in Azerbaijan. We produce everything from machine guns to armoured vehicles, from medium range strategic missiles to the drone aircraft you see above in the article. Our overall military expenditures are around 4.4 billion USD for the year 2011. That’s the second highest defence budget among the CIS countries with Russia being first and Ukraine third. It’s larger than the entire state budget of Armenia, lol.
good job Istiqlal_Sniper_Rifle, thank you very much.
keep producing them. we need to get new weapons free-of-charge.
Artsakh’s warriors will take them from you and use it against you – just like last time.
in case you forgot, entire Armenian regiments were nicely equipped with all sorts of new Azeri weapons – tanks, machine guns, RPGs, tons of ammo – captured from fleeing Azeri ‘soldiers’.
Hopefully all those items you are making work, because in the next war when we acquire all your equipment, we don’t want junk like last time.
ISTIQLAL Rifles,these are cheap knock offs of major name brand rifles, turks love to make copied clones with real cheap materials. these are disposable cheap rifles, only idiots brag about cloned pos weapons. we were on our way to baku in 1993 but we changed our minds, next time baku is ours 🙂
You’re right about the oil money Azerbaijan spending for build up its Army…but you forgot something important, Armenian Army is most battle field experienced Army in Caucasian. We built up our position since 20 years ago, strong enough to stop any aggression move by Azerbaijan. This time will be no compassion, even more losses for Azerbaijan.
What is laughable is how your country includes in that puffed up military budget of yours such unrelated things as money allocated for court and judiciary spending. Maybe they make Azeris feel good about themselves, but those inflated numbers don’t scare anyone. Higher military spending rarely decides the outcome on the battlefield. The US military budget is a million times higher than that of the Taliban for example, we still haven’t defeated them.
Dear Istiqlal_Sniper_Rifle,
All those “kites”, that have built by Israelis, then they know how to deactivate them, during a “wrong war” time…I wonder people like shiekh Alioff never learn from history of wold’s dictators, like Saddam..
LONG LIVE MY ARMENIANS!!!!!
LONG LIVE OUR ARMENIAN NATION!!!!!
LONG LIVE FREE AND INDEPENDENT ARTSAKH!!!!!
You need to have heart and love for your Nation you dumbsh*t azeri…Only weapons will not win a war.
I’m moving from Argentina to Armenia in May because as soon as your incompetent government makes the fatal mistake of shooting down a civilian or any ARMENIAN aircraft…I want to be one of the first soldiers on the front lines walking into Baku…
You can have 400 military enterprises and have a budget that is 100 times Armenia’s budget. BUT, if your backwards country lays one finger on Armenia or Artsakh it will be the end of Azerbaijan FOREVER!!! We beat your military once before and we’ll beat it again. The only mistake we made the first time was not rolling our tanks into Baku…THAT MISTAKE WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN I PROMISE YOU THAT!!!
Enjoy this article you loser:
http://times.am/2011/02/23/wikileaks-%e2%80%9cazerbaijan-is-unlikely-anytime-to-win-nk-and-armenian-armies%e2%80%9d/
Yet we have Karabakh and control 1/3 use 1/4 of your land ass buffer for Karabakh. I think you should be crying insted of loling
Me: STOP IT
We don’t control – quote – “their” land mass. Every square meter of liberated land is historic Armenian land. Take a look at some maps from before 1918, when the artificial ‘country’ of Azerbaijan was created out of thin air by British imperialists. Most of so-called ‘Azerbaijan’, including Nakhichevan, is occupied Armenian land – ethnically cleansed of native Armenian inhabitants, who were living there for 1000s of years, before Tatars showed up from Mongolian Steppes.
Let’s all get the facts right.
My Ancestors were from Nakhijevan, but were forcefully moved to Iran By Shah Abbas when Iran was fighting Ottoman army in the 1600’s. But since then Armenians were treated well in Iran, and to this day they will not help Azerbaijan, your fake country named after Iranian provinces in 1918 in order to have land claims one day. Iranians hate ‘Azeri’s’ almost as much as Armenians and will NEVER want to see Turkey join Azerbaijan as it is against their national interests. Russia, incase you forgot has given weapons to Armenia for a number of years and the weaponry we have you can dream about. Yes Azerbabunistan has spent lots of $$$ but even your government knows VERY well that Armenians could of EASILY reached kura river in ’93 but only stopped due to American oil interests. This time, trust me not only are we expanding borders again like in 92/93 but we’ll BREAK Azerbaijan to pieces. Russia needs Armenia and as much as Iran, so because of these 2 national interests we will always be here 🙂 Remember before 1918 you were known as Tatars, throughout history there has never been mention of country north of Arax river known as ‘Azerbaijan’ or a race known as ‘Azeri’ or ‘azerbaijani’. Meanwhile, Armenia is the only surviving country mentioned on the world’s oldest map, the babylonian clay tablet. Truth hurts, and if your government have the balls to start a war, NK and Armenia are beyond ready. We’ve BEEN waiting, so will our kids and their grandkids, because we’ve always had enemies but were still here and always will be.
Bravo Vahé, well said!
Thanks Onnik, if you have time please read this as it contains some amazing information on ‘Azerbaijan. Share with friends as well please.
http://forum.hyeclub.com/showthread.php/10663-And-the-Fraud-Had-a-Name-Azerbaijan-the-Real-the-Fake-and-the-Absurd
The distance from my home town to Erevan is just 40km. And u talk about invading Baku? What a bunch of jokers )))))
We in Nakchevan have a common dream. I’ll share it with u. And no, it’s not about Karabagh. It’s about this 1 project, called Nakhchevan – Baku highway. We will build a highway from Nakchevan to Baku passing through Zangazur and Karabagh. That’s what we all think about all day long. We will liberate our lands. All of it.
There is no country of Azerbaijan, your Nakhijevan is part of Armenia and the rest of Azerbaijan excluding Karabakh is part of Iran, so come to Papa before barking like a stray dog!
good said parsik
next time we will destroy you in arnmian NAhkijevan and destroy uo in baku.
The Azeris can produce weapons but not courage.
Now Azeris are claiming that Armenians committted genocide against them, This is funny not just because the opposite is true but because their Turkish allies say that you can’t have committed genocide since the term was not invented until the 1940’s. Funny how before now the Azeris never thought they were the victims of genocide. I guess Azeris like to hallucinate on LSD or something,
I think we all know who is helping Azerbaijan with its arms industry: Israel and Turkey.
Hey, who knows, maybe Israel and Turkey can sell the Azeris some courage too, but I doubt it.
I believe this is more of a PR stunt really, though still something for all to consider.
Making cheap as weapons and on the cost of having a hungry population has no match for well fed and trained DEFENSE ARMY!!! And just like in the past and present Azeri’s breed faster than rats, and grow up with no education. We will see how long Azeri’s will fight in the next war. Talk about that you muslims slave to Persians, turks and Mongols try to find an identity for themselves, so you call yourself Azeri. Azeri’s = trash breed of whatever was left over by Mongols, and so are turks, claiming to have 2000 years of history, hahaha, what idiots. So sitting down with Azeri and Turkish government to make deals, is a shame on Armenian Gov’t. We should lower ourselves to even look at them, unless we gonna kill em. Ohh this is only in political and military sense, no social!!!
i wonder if istiqlal has more information to supply so we will be prepared accordincly
I have said this before and Iwill repeat AGAIN………You azeris and your brothers(turkish advisers) should know
that This time arround there will be no respect or sympathy. Go ahead with your manufacturing.
I have said this before and I will repeat AGAIN……….You azeris and your brothers should know that this time arround there will be no respect or sympathy.Go ahead with your manufaturing.
Azeris, Azeris…first you need to discover the wheel…
It’s about time we start bothering jews with anti-genocide lobbying and now arming azerbaijan they are an enemy state. We are electing jewish reps to represent us in congress, time to start pressuring them. they cannot play games with us. let them come out and answer. enough, we need hold them accountable. we have been too nice to them.
Israel won’t get away easy for this deal, trust me, soon muslems will destroy them for good, signs are showing in Muslem world already, Egypt a traditional leader of Arab world is in metamorphosis, transforming from former alley to a dangerous and mighty enemy!
so Israelis should think twice before trying to gain more enemies around the world!
Just because Istiklal is……… you name it. Do we have to respond in kind?
Now we know what “he” has.
By the way istiklal, do you think Nakhichevan is an Azeri name?
As emotional as all this communicating gets, at least we are communicating. That is hopeful. Yes, it may get to a national fight to the end. But since the Russo Georgian war, all has changed. I wonder if most Azeri’s have thought about this grand plan of their leaders to arm Azerbaidjian to the teeth, spend all the oil resources money on Arms, that may, or may not pan out. Lets see: 1. They could loose the war. Many deaths, many wounded, all the money spent and still no Nagorno Karabagh, or even worse, loose even more land, maybe, even the pipeline. 2. No war, no losses, still no Nagorno Karabagh, but the money is all gone, the oil is down where Azerbaidjian has to import, and the Aliyevs are gone to America or Switzerland with All their money, and the Arms are all rusting. 3. Azerbaidjian starts the war, but losses are so horenduous, that 50 to 80 % battlefield deaths, would mean the end of two generations of young Azerbaidjianis. 4. Lets hope that the Tatars and the other Ethnic groups in that country depose their Robber Barron leaders and choose Democracy like the rest of the Muslim world.
Of course, we are starving to death. I guess that’s why we have the biggest economy in Caucasus. That’s why we have the highest GDP per capita figures in this Turkic region called Caucasus. That’s why we have the highest average monthly earnings among 4 states including Iran. That’s why we have experienced a non-stop GDP growth each and every year starting from 1995 up to this day. Oil? Guess again. We didn’t have all those fancy pipelines back in 90s. Yet we were expanding at tremendous rates. This is all according to the World Bank. We have invested more than 15 billion USD in non-oil sector over the past 2 years. In about 10 years of time we’ll be completely independent from oil sector and our economy will be based on foreign trade and massive exports. From agriculture to weapons productions and exports. It’s funny actually. Last time I checked Panarmenian.net reported that they received a letter from ASALA saying that they are concerned over the increased rate of emigration from Armenia. Today Armenia declares to have a population of 3.2 million, but in reality there are roughly 2 million people left in the country. We don’t breed like rats as you people mention it. We just don’t run away from our country in search for a better life. That;s why we are 9.2 million today. The biggest difference between our nations is that u people love to search for a better life abroad (something u got from your gipsy ancestors), whereas we love to build a better life in our homeland. “Yurd”, u know what I’m saying? )))
U can insult me all u want, but the facts remain in place. Every smart persons understands that the world is interested in their own future instead of someone’s past. U run around demanding “justice”, while we walk around offering them business deals. U are clearly on the wrong path. Open up your eyes an see what’s going on around. We are turning this country into Israel of Caucasus.
P.S. Remember how most of u were talking about the end of Baku regime? How the revolution was about to swallow us? How our people were starving to death? Where is it? Tell me. Why didn’t It happen. Because nobody is starving in Azerbaijan like it was the case in those stinking Arab countries. Keep on underestimating us in everything including our military might. I wish for nothing more.
You are hilarious. Gypsy ancestors? Say that to anybody who knows any bit of ancient history and they’ll laugh at you. You’re not even worth my time, and I don’t think an educational lesson will do you any good.
The artificial country of Azerbaijan is a laughing stock in all the scholarly circles I’ve been in.
I pity you, I honestly do. I deeply feel bad that you actually believe what you write. You spew what you’ve been taught, and that’s not your fault. See, when a people have no history of their own, they fabricate one at the cost of their neighbors.
You speak of home? The Mongolian steppes are waiting for your return.
“That;s why we are 9.2 million today.”
The real number of “Azeris” in that artificial Sultanate is around 5-6 million including all non-Turkic minorities like Lezgis, Tolysh, and yes, Ilham Aliev’s statisticians even counted Armenians of Artsakh and 250,000+ Armenians who escaped from Baku and Gandzak pogroms as “Azerbaijanis”…and they counted the “Azeri refugees” twice – first as inhabitants of “Quarabag” and then as inhabitants of refugee camps that UN feeds to this day. What a rich country with a diversified economy that includes UN refugee rations for nomads!
Out of that real 5-6 million half live under the open sky at Russian bazaars selling tomatoes and cucumbers and sending money to their relatives so they can have some meat once a year on Novruz.
All their lies can be really defeated by simple independently collected data like the amount of flower the country consumes (not enough for 9.2 million or even 6 million!), the number of high school graduates, number of newborns, etc.
Ilham Aliyev learned how to lie about numbers from his father, former ruler of Soviet Azerbaijan who used to secretly import cotton from Turkmenistan to report production plan accomplishments to Moscow and then ship it back to Turkmenistan so they can report the same cotton too. But his father was smart – this Sultan is just an idiot who can’t hire better statisticians that can produce believable lies.
How much does that Istikal Rifle weigh? Can a malnourished 18 yo Azeri conscript carry it?
We exchange 3 living and breathing azeri prisoner’s of war for 1 dead ARMENIAN…Go’s to show what you’re worth..
your PHONY ARTIFICIAL “azerbaiajn” will come to an abrupt end. just like the PHONY ARTIFICIAL soviet union did.
just when you mongol gypsies least expect it. LOL
long live the Armenian republic of Artsahk, what azeri mazeri e,1 armenian is 100 azeri, surly we did mistakes, the first one was we dident liberat nackichevan from the mongol azeris, but any way it is a matter off 2 to 3 weaks . azerbaijan is nothing, just noting