Azerbaijan reveals arms purchases from Israel reach nearly $5b

BAKU, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijan’s president today hailed his country’s military cooperation with Israel, revealing that it is buying Israeli defense system to the tune of nearly $5 billion.

“We actively cooperate in the area of defense industries. This cooperation lasts already for many years,” President Ilham Aliyev says at a joint appearance before the press with visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“To give you one figure to illustrate how broad this cooperation is, so far the contracts between Azerbaijani and Israeli companies with respect to purchasing of defense equipment is close to $5 billion. To be more precise, $4.85 billlion.”

Most of these contracts have already been executed but there is more to be done, he adds.

“We’re very satisfied with the level of this cooperation,” he says, addressing Israeli and Azerbaijani reporters at Baku’s Zagulba Palace.

Two Israeli officials say they are surprised that the Azerbaijani chose to reveal exact figures regarding his country’s defense deals with Israel

Azerbaijan, which has a long border with Iran, is a secular state that has long-had warm relations with Israel.

Nearly 98 percent of its 10 million inhabitants are Muslim, the vast majority of them Shiites. Baku is one of Israel’s main trading partners, buying Israelis weapons systems and providing the Jewish state with a lion share of its oil. Israeli trade with Azerbaijan is said to be significantly higher than trade with France.

Baku is reportedly interested in acquiring Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, a deal that is likely to be discussed during this week’s visit.

— Raphael Ahren