Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan develops and expands existing cooperation with United States of America, Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Croatia, Czech Republic, Republic of Estonia, French Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Republic of Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Italian Republic, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Slovenia, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Republic of Uzbekistan and other foreign nations in the military, military–political and military-technical spheres, as well with international organizations in various domains on a bilateral and multilateral basis year after year.
The military cooperation successfully carried out through the following main areas of activity:
Defense and security:
• security operations (e.g., maritime security, enhancing counter-terrorism capabilities, etc.)
• Special operations (strengthening special forces)
• cyber security;
• energy security;
• information security;
• non-combatant evacuation operations;
• conducting exercises;
• military education;
• national security and military sciences airspace security (air and air defense).
Multilateral military cooperation
The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan has multilateral cooperation with the armed forces of the strategic partners in the region and beyond to ensure regional security, subsequently, to provide security for the internationally strategic projects in the region, and to contribute to international security.
The key focus of the multilateral military cooperation is to broaden the regional cooperation based on mutual interest, to enhance joint operational capability and interoperability, to conduct multilateral joint exercises and make exchange of students and experts between military educational institutions through use of existing tools, respective plans and programs.
Within the scope of multilateral cooperation, multilateral joint military exercises are conducted in order to provide the readiness for the elimination of aftereffects of disasters by mutual efforts during emergency situations, to organize search and rescue operations, to ensure maritime security, to protect and enhance security of energy and transport infrastructure.
The Republic of Azerbaijan has become member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) since 24 September of 1993. Within this framework, the Republic of Azerbaijan is in cooperation in different spheres with the other member states except Armenia.
The Ministry of Defense (MOD) of the Republic of Azerbaijan takes part in the Council of Defense Ministers and meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of CIS member states and other events within this framework.
CIS is a military-political dialogue platform and a tool that offers opportunities to extend bilateral military cooperation with respective CIS member states for the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The basis of the activities of MOD of the Republic of Azerbaijan within CIS is bilateral military cooperation.
Bilateral military cooperation
The bilateral military cooperation between the Azerbaijan Army and armed forces and military industrial complexes of foreign countries based on mutual interests of the parties. Currently, the Azerbaijan Army cooperates with approximately 40 countries around the world on bilateral basis. Two major types of the bilateral military cooperation are as follow:
Cooperation with foreign countries’ Armed Forces - conducted between the Azerbaijan Army and armed forces or other security structures of foreign states. Within this type of cooperation, interested parties prepare, promulgate, implement and review plans and programs on annual basis.
Strategic military cooperation – conducted between the Republic of Azerbaijan and its strategic partners on a defense sphere, at the highest level as addition to the cooperation goals with the armed forces of foreign countries in order to achieve the following outcomes:
• Mutual protection of interests of parties’ at all platforms;
• Identification of potential security related threats, and struggle against them in joint effort;
• bringing in a joint contribution in order to ensure regional and global stability and security;
• Collaboration on the implementation of joint projects on the development of defense industry and technology base, as well on the acquisition of supplies and technologies;
• conducting of joint exercises;
• conducting of military-political consultations between the parties; explore joint fields of interest for promoting mutual interests; discuss; carrying out high-level meetings in order to review the execution status of adopted mutual decisions;
• To develop military science and education;
• Information-sharing.