Yesterday, US Vice President J.D. Vance visited Azerbaijan and met with the head of state, Ilham Aliyev. A Charter on Strategic Partnership was signed between the parties. The text of the Charter on Strategic Partnership, signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and US Vice President J.D. Vance, states that the US intends to expand the scope of defense and security cooperation with Azerbaijan.
In this regard, the parties intend to expand existing anti-terrorism cooperation, taking into account their commitments to broaden the scope of defense and security cooperation, including the sale of defense industry products, and to jointly combat the threat of terrorism.
It should be noted that it was announced some time ago that US patrol boats would be supplied to Azerbaijan. Which other weapons will be acquired from the US is a noteworthy nuance.
In a statement to Modern.az, military expert Adalat Verdiyev said the following regarding which other weapons Azerbaijan will acquire from the US:
“Naturally, the repeal of Section 907 is now a matter of time. All processes indicate that Azerbaijan and the US intend to cooperate in the fight against terrorism, defense, military, and military-technical fields. If a strategic cooperation charter has also been signed, then after the repeal of Section 907, there will be no obstacles to cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US in any field. Azerbaijan and the US have previously cooperated in many areas, including peacekeeping activities. The results of this cooperation have always been positively evaluated by the US. In such a case, Azerbaijan will prioritize technology transfer and the establishment of joint production facilities from the US, rather than ready-made products. Regarding the acquisition of patrol boats, we have previously acquired patrol boats from the US. Even in 2018, US-made helicopters flew over Baku during the parade. However, during the Biden administration, this cooperation suffered a major blow. Relations deteriorated, and ties reached a critical point. Fortunately, relations with the US are being restored. In the coming years, we will see positive changes in the establishment of joint ventures between Azerbaijan and the US, the arrival of US companies in our country, thereby creating jobs, facilitating technology transfer, and training personnel.”
The expert also discussed which weapons Azerbaijan will jointly produce with the US:
“We must produce products that meet the demands of the modern market. Cooperation should cover a broader scope. Today, the top 5 largest companies in the world belong to the US. We are talking about hundreds of billions of funds. With the US, which possesses such capabilities, we can cooperate more on weapons demanded by the modern market. Examples include drone swarms, artificial intelligence-controlled weapon systems, missiles, highly demanded air defense systems, and artillery ammunition.”
The expert stated that there are countries that have been waiting for years to acquire modern weapons from the US.
“Demand for these weapons has increased, and there are customers who have been waiting for over 10 years to acquire them. The Russia-Ukraine war and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East have depleted the ammunition reserves of many countries and the untouched quantities of ammunition in their warehouses. The ammunition shortage must be addressed. Because it appears that conflicts continue and will continue in the world. Therefore, these ammunition stocks need to be replenished. Why should we produce automatic rifles for this purpose? It is no longer possible to surprise the world with automatic rifles. Our relations with Israel, Turkey, the US, Pakistan, and European countries allow us to apply the positive experiences of the victory we achieved in the Patriotic War to these weapons and present them to the world. This will bring greater dividends. Cooperation with the US will take place in the areas I mentioned. The cooperation will be long-term because the Charter has already been signed. Neither the US nor others can withdraw from this. There is a signature involved.”
