Just days after Israel’s PM Netanyahu visited Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev revealed that his country has signed $5 billion worth of contracts to purchase weapons & security equipment from Israel.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Baku, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Javer Jamalov announced over the weekend that his country has signed a deal to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defense system.

Jamalov made the announcement on Saturday during a briefing with reporters. According to a report in the Azerbaijan Press Agency, Jamalov said that the “agreement was reached between the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry and Israel’s relevant structure”, likely a reference to Israel’s Defense Ministry.

Iron Dome – Posted on Facebook by the IDF November 22, 2012

Last week, after meeting with Netanyahu, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev revealed that his country has signed $5 billion worth of long-term contracts over the years to buy weapons and security equipment from Israel.

His comments came against the backdrop of hostile relations between Azerbaijan and southern neighbor Iran, whose leaders have repeatedly condemned Azerbaijani-Israeli ties, including in the past week.

Azerbaijan will become one of the first countries outside of Israel to purchase and operate the Iron Dome. Over the years, there have been reports of other countries – including South Korea, Singapore and India – that have expressed interest in the system but those sales were never publicly confirmed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev – Photo: Haim Zach, Israel’s GPO

Azerbaijan’s interest in the system is believed to stem from Armenia’s recent purchase of Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missiles. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at war for decades over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

View original The Jerusalem Post publication at:
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Azerbaijan-We-have-closed-deal-to-buy-Israels-Iron-Dome-Missile-System-475732