Azerbaijan to develop defense industry co-op with Ukraine
BAKU – Azerbaijan intends to develop defense industry cooperation with Ukraine, President Ilham Aliyev has said ahead of his official visit to the country.
President Aliyev told Ukraine’s Den (The Day) daily that Azerbaijan has been buying weaponry and military machinery from Ukraine for many years, and Baku welcomes this cooperation, which has good prospects.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s defense spending will exceed $3 billion in 2011, with most of the amount to be spent on the purchases of machinery and its domestic production.
The president said Azerbaijan has begun building a defense industry complex, and the country’s military goods are already exported and displayed at international exhibitions.
"It should also be noted that this has been done partly with the aid of our Ukrainian partners. There are joint ventures operating in this field and we intend to develop cooperation."
President Aliyev is due to leave for Ukraine on Thursday. The two countries’ governments are expected to sign a number of documents during the visit.
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