| | | ZAUR SHIRIYEV
z.shiriyev@todayszaman.com | ![]() |
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| | | As discussed in my previous column, the political-military realities of the post-2008 period saw changes in the military strategies of Baku and Tbilisi, with each country redefining its priorities. These changes have demonstrated some key differences between the policies pursued by each government. The main difference is that Azerbaijan, with its huge military budget, is better equipped to purchase military equipment from foreign companies or countries. However, due to restrictions on arms sales, Baku can only trade with a few partners, mainly the former Soviet countries (Ukraine, Russia and Belarus), though it also has a strong partnership with Israel in this field. Unlike Baku, Georgia's smaller military budget has restricted the development of its defense industry, and it also has doubts about cooperating with Israel; both of these factors have led Tbilisi to look for new opportunities. | |
In this regard, both countries focused on the development of their defense industries and bilateral cooperation in this sector for the following key reasons:
From a strategic perspective, both countries would like reduce their dependency on foreign military suppliers and better provide for their armies, both in terms of military readiness and modernization. The development of their defense industries may allow them to sell their own weapons to foreign countries; they may be able to start trading with former Soviet Union (FSU) and Central Asian countries.
From a military perspective, the short-term aim for both countries in terms of the defense industry is to produce drones, tanks and different kinds of artillery.
From an intelligence perspective, Tbilisi, with its more modernized military intelligence service, could provide military cadre training. The two countries can also share military intelligence more frequently and cooperate to combat common military/non-military threats; their 2002 mutual defense agreement stressed this point.
Therefore, since 2009, defense industry cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia has been improving. The reason for this is that since 2008, new opportunities have arisen. Prior to 2008, Baku had long demanded that Tbilisi stop letting Armenia repair its battle tanks and other armored techniques at a Russian munitions factory in Tbilisi. Once Georgia cut ties with Moscow and agreed, high level ministry of defense visits from Azerbaijan to Georgia commenced and both sides reached a compromise. This stimulated the development of their defense industry cooperation. The initial agreement was for Baku to help modernize Georgia's tanks and aircraft repair plants.
But defense cooperation between the two countries is likely to become stronger, especially after Georgia's Defense Minister Irakli Alasania took office and declared that one of the country's priorities will be enhancing and strengthening its defense cooperation with close strategic allies, namely Azerbaijan and Turkey. On March 18, Alasania visited Baku and signed a bilateral cooperation plan for 2013. The details were not disclosed but cooperation is likely to include:
First of all, upgrading the military factories in both countries and jointly producing equipment. Georgia plans to produce modernized versions of the SU-25 aircraft at the Tbilisi Aerospace Manufacturing Company (TAM) and Tbilisi has spoken to Azerbaijan about the financing of the project and the establishment of joint production. Azerbaijan purchased 13 attack aircraft from Georgia in 2002-2003, and it is possible that Azerbaijan will buy Tbilisi Aerospace Manufacturing Company (TAM) in the near future.
Secondly, it is in the interests of both sides to improve Azerbaijan's defense industry with the aim of jointly producing armored vehicles and equipment. However in the last three years, Azerbaijan's cooperation with different foreign countries has opened up opportunities for Georgia to acquire modern military technologies with the help of Azerbaijan.
Thirdly, both countries will cooperate with Turkey, which is much more accomplished in the defense industry. Turkey's indigenous defense programs encompass the full spectrum of military operations and include major areas across land, air, sea and space. As stated by Georgia's defense minister, Tbilisi is interested in trilateral format cooperation. Meanwhile, defense cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan dates back further than Turkish-Georgian ties but for both, cooperation with Turkey in the defense industry marks a new page in their partnership.
According to military sources and Jane's Defense Weekly's reports, Turkey is developing its defense industry in many areas. Its most ambitious defense program is its indigenous fighter project F-X, through which the country aims to eventually replace the single engine Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter aircraft in the Turkish Air Force (TAF) service with a nationally designed and built platform. Additionally, In January, Turkey decided to abandon its plans to buy an off-the-shelf system for its T-Loramids surface to-air missile (SAM) program and is now seeking to co-develop a SAM system as part of the country's ambition to become self-sufficient in defense technologies.
Beyond the possible trilateral format cooperation in defense industries, all sides agreed to jointly strengthen military exercises. Since September 2006, under the framework of a NATO program, trilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey in pipeline security has taken place annually. Moreover, under the trilateral format, Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish special forces conducted the Caucasus Eagle 2012 military exercises for the first time and will conduct these every year. The next steps seem to be Azerbaijan and Turkey's attendance at a joint US-Georgian military exercise in 2014, which Georgia's defense minister suggested joining during his visits to Baku and Ankara.
In this regard, the urgent need for an improvement in the trilateral format of cooperation in the defense industry and military training could be strengthened in the near future if the countries sign a defense industry cooperation agreement at the trilateral level. |
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