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AZERBAIJAN SPENT $1.6 BLN ON ISRAELI ARMS IN 2011
RIA Novosti
27/03/2012
Azerbaijan purchased a variety of weaponry, including aerial drones
and an advanced anti-missile capable radar, from Israel under a $1.6
bln contract signed in 2011, the APA news agency said on Tuesday,
citing data provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI).
According to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, Baku bought an
unknown number of Gabriel anti-ship missiles, five Heron and five
Searcher UAV's, a Barak-8 air defense system with 75 missiles, and an
EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar. Israel uses Green Pine for its national
missile defense system.
Analitika.az website speculated that the purchases could be linked to
a cooling in relations with Iran, after ties between Baku and Tehran
deteriorated recently.
Last month, police in Azerbaijan said they had arrested an unspecified
number of people linked to Iran and to the Lebanese militant group
Hezbollah on suspicion of planning attacks in the country.
Tehran later accused Azerbaijan, which borders Iran and has friendly
relations with the United States and Israel, of colluding with Israeli
intelligence services in the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist
in January.
At the end of February, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned
Azerbaijan's ambassador to Tehran Javanshir Akhundov to explain the
arms deal with Israel and to provide assurances that the Israeli
weaponry would not be used against Iran.
Akhundov reportedly said the weapons were bought "to liberate occupied
Azerbaijani land," most likely hinting at the ongoing conflict with
Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh which was seized
from Azerbaijan by Armenian forces during a war in the 1990s.
Baku and Tehran attempted to soothe building tensions during a visit
by Azerbaijan Defense Minister Safar Abiyev to Iran earlier in March
when both sides made public assurances of good neighborly relations.
Israel has persistently denied any connection between current tensions
in the Persian Gulf and military supplies to Azerbaijan. Israeli
experts point out that such transactions take months, or even yearsto
complete.
RIA Novosti
27/03/2012
Azerbaijan purchased a variety of weaponry, including aerial drones
and an advanced anti-missile capable radar, from Israel under a $1.6
bln contract signed in 2011, the APA news agency said on Tuesday,
citing data provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI).
According to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, Baku bought an
unknown number of Gabriel anti-ship missiles, five Heron and five
Searcher UAV's, a Barak-8 air defense system with 75 missiles, and an
EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar. Israel uses Green Pine for its national
missile defense system.
Analitika.az website speculated that the purchases could be linked to
a cooling in relations with Iran, after ties between Baku and Tehran
deteriorated recently.
Last month, police in Azerbaijan said they had arrested an unspecified
number of people linked to Iran and to the Lebanese militant group
Hezbollah on suspicion of planning attacks in the country.
Tehran later accused Azerbaijan, which borders Iran and has friendly
relations with the United States and Israel, of colluding with Israeli
intelligence services in the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist
in January.
At the end of February, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned
Azerbaijan's ambassador to Tehran Javanshir Akhundov to explain the
arms deal with Israel and to provide assurances that the Israeli
weaponry would not be used against Iran.
Akhundov reportedly said the weapons were bought "to liberate occupied
Azerbaijani land," most likely hinting at the ongoing conflict with
Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh which was seized
from Azerbaijan by Armenian forces during a war in the 1990s.
Baku and Tehran attempted to soothe building tensions during a visit
by Azerbaijan Defense Minister Safar Abiyev to Iran earlier in March
when both sides made public assurances of good neighborly relations.
Israel has persistently denied any connection between current tensions
in the Persian Gulf and military supplies to Azerbaijan. Israeli
experts point out that such transactions take months, or even yearsto
complete.