Israel signs deal to provide Azerbaijan with $1.6 bln in military equipment

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Azerbaijan rejects Iranian protests over arms buy from Israel

Azerbaijan on Wednesday dismissed an Iranian protest over its reported deal to buy arms worth $1.5 billion from Tehran’s foe Israel amid increased tensions between the neighboring states.

Azerbaijan’s ambassador was summoned to Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday to explain the weapons and to receive a warning that Israel must not be permitted to use Azerbaijan to stage “terrorist acts” against Iran.

But the Azerbaijani foreign ministry said that the reported weapons purchases -- which it did not confirm -- were not intended to threaten Iran.

“Our foreign policy is not directed against anyone else,” foreign ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told a news conference.


Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday that Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Tehran, Javanshir Akhundov, had acknowledged the arms deal.

Akhundov explained that the weapons were bought “to liberate occupied Azerbaijani land”, according to the reports -- a reference to the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh which was seized from Azerbaijan by Armenian forces during a war in the 1990s.

The foreign ministry also cited the continuing conflict with neighbor Armenia over Karabakh, where no peace deal has been signed despite years of negotiations since the 1994 ceasefire.

“Azerbaijani lands are under occupation and we have one million refugees and internally displaced people, so we will do everything to restore territorial integrity and return our lands,” Abdullayev said.

Relations between Tehran and Baku have been tense for several months, with Azerbaijan saying in January that it had detained two other people allegedly linked to Iranian intelligence on suspicion of plotting attacks.

The sales by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries came at a delicate time. Israel has been laboring hard to form diplomatic alliances in a region that seems to be growing increasingly hostile to the Jewish state.

Its most pressing concern is Iran’s nuclear program, and Israeli leaders have hinted broadly that they would be prepared to attack Iranian nuclear facilities if they see no other way to keep Tehran from building bombs.

Iran denies Israeli and Western claims it seeks to develop atomic weapons, and says its disputed nuclear program is designed to produce energy and medical isotopes.

It was not clear whether the arms deal with Azerbaijan was connected to any potential Israeli plans to strike Iran. The Israeli defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not at liberty to discuss defense deals.

Danny Yatom, a former head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, said the timing of the deal was likely coincidental. “Such a deal ... takes a long period of time to become ripe,” he told The Associated Press.

He said Israel would continue to sell arms to its friends. “If it will help us in challenging Iran, it is for the better,” he said.

Israel’s ties with Azerbaijan, a Muslim country that became independent with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, have grown as its once-strong strategic relationship with another Iranian neighbor, Turkey, has deteriorated, most sharply over Israel’s killing of nine Turks aboard a ship that sought to breach Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010.

For Israeli intelligence, there is also a possible added benefit from Azerbaijan: Its significant cross-border contacts and trade with Iran’s large ethnic Azeri community.

For that same reason, as Iran’s nuclear showdown with the West deepens, the Islamic Republic sees the Azeri frontier as a weak point, even though both countries are mostly Shiite Muslim.

Earlier this month, Iran’s foreign ministry accused Azerbaijan of allowing the Israeli spy agency Mossad to operate on its territory and providing a corridor for “terrorists” to kill members of Iranian nuclear scientists.

Azerbaijan dismissed the Iranian claims as “slanderous lies.” Israeli leaders have hinted at covert campaigns against Iran without directly admitting involvement.

Israel, meanwhile, recently claimed authorities foiled Iranian-sponsored attacks against Israeli targets in Azerbaijan. Such claims have precedents: In 2008, Azeri officials said they thwarted a plot to explode car bombs near the Israeli Embassy; two Lebanese men were later convicted in the bombing attempt. A year earlier, Azerbaijan convicted 15 people in connection with an alleged Iranian-linked spy network accused of passing intelligence on Western and Israeli activities.

Iran has denied Azerbaijan’s latest charges of plotting to kill Israelis, but a diplomatic rupture is unlikely. Azerbaijan is an important pathway for Iranian goods in the Caucasus region and both nations have signed accords among Caspian nations on energy, environmental and shipping policies.

Azerbaijan rejects Iranian protests over arms buy from Israel

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Bring me one and only one evidence that Iran has threatened Azerbaijan.

Iran to Baku: No Hijab, No Peace!

Recently, one of Iran’s key turbaned bosses threatened that Azerbaijanis may soon take the noncommittally Muslim leader of neighboring Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev, “by the scuff of his neck and kick him out of his seat.” Now, Baku is again hearing an angry rumble from its hardcore Islamist neighbor over its attempts to keep Azerbaijan walking the straight and secular.

“We regret that the criminal, anti-Islamic work of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is part of [the] official policies of Baku,” opined scholars, clerics and students in a joint statement issued at a gathering in the Iranian city of Tabriz, which contains a large ethnic Azeri population.

Azerbaijan has just agreed to export gas to Iran and is also keen to talk business with its neighbor, but Baku and Tehran find it increasingly hard to hide their differences behind a neighborly veneer. Azerbaijan’s efforts to restrain Islam by allowing an informal ban on Muslim headdresses in public schools and restraining the publication of certain Islamic literature, have long had Iran’s spiritual leaders hot under their collars. Influential Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi recently even came close to threatening jihad on the Azerbaijani authorities.

“The day will come when they [the people of Azerbaijan]…will drag you down from your seats,” he said. “Learn the lessons from the events in the region,” Ayatollah said in reference to the Arab uprisings, which he apparently sees as signs of an Islamic revival. In an earlier fatwa, Shirazi said that he may declare a holy war on Azerbaijani officials if they continue closing down mosques.

Strangely, such warnings sometimes seem to coincide with news about gas deals between the two countries. But, still, ever wary of its southern neighbor trying its hand at any funny business, Baku has answered in kind.

Azerbaijani Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Bahar Muradova last week advised the Iranian leadership to stay away from Azerbaijan’s domestic matters. “Let our Iranian friends not forget that Azerbaijan is an independent country,” Muradova said.

Iran to Baku: No Hijab, No Peace! | EurasiaNet.org

Commander urges Azerbaijan to respect Islamic rules

A senior Iranian military commander called on the Azeri President, Ilham Aliyev, to strengthen his government by respecting Islamic rules and people demands.

"I hope Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev would pay heed to the issues which strengthen pillars of his government, otherwise he will face a dark future since people's awakening cannot be suppressed," Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi.

"People's awakening cannot be suppressed. Some neighboring and Muslim states with which we enjoy friendly relations continue to ignore friendship criteria and give freedom to Zionist regime (of Israel) to meddle in their country's affairs. They also give command to bar Islamic rules," Firouzabadi added.

Commander urges Azerbaijan to respect Islamic rules | Arab world

In fact, Iran has been threatening Azerbaijan for more than a decade. Iran has staunchly supported Armenia’s conquest of undisputed Azerbaijani territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis to the point that Armenia regularly votes against sanctions on Iran in the United Nations. In 2001, Iran shot up an Azerbaijani oil-exploration platform in the Caspian Sea. Apart from blocking the legal resolution of that sea’s status, Iran regularly threatens Azerbaijan with invasion and other unspecified military action if it supports a U.S. base in its country and because of its close ties with Israel.

BLANK: America's drone in Iran's neighborhood - Washington Times

[twilight]

well , they are little cowards that loss 1/3 their soil in their past battle with Armenia ... if we didn't let to some Iranina to go and help them , they could loss completely and Armenian could bring down Baku .... but now , they making big words for us ...

We opened our border for Nakhjavan and if they continue their little game , we can close our border and after that , they wouldn't have food for eating ... Aliove doesn't care about his people ....
but our Supreme leader doesn't allow to close border for Azaris ....

http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Images...akhichevan.png

another thing , our artillery is more than enough for crashing them ....

well , this little traitor isn't big problem as American Army ...

---------- Post added at 06:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:01 PM ----------

well , they are little cowards that loss 1/3 their soil in their past battle with Armenia ... if we didn't let to some Iranina to go and help them , they could loss completely and Armenian could bring down Baku .... but now , they making big words for us ...

We opened our border for Nakhjavan and if they continue their little game , we can close our border and after that , they wouldn't have food for eating ... Aliove doesn't care about his people ....
but our Supreme leader doesn't allow to close border for Azaris ....

http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Images...akhichevan.png

another thing , our artillery is more than enough for crashing them ....

well , this little traitor isn't big problem as American Army ...

[silko]

just goe's to show your true face, "we are the protectors of Shia muslims in the world"

my ***...

you watched as your shia "brothers" where being slaughtered by armenians and didn't do a **** about it, infact you chared for armenias accomplishement. right now if a war was to break out armenia would resort to Russia. Azerbaijans military budget is higher than armenias state budget. has a more advanced and capable air force and army. so no, armenia can't take jackshit.

if any war was to happen for karabagh Turkey would help Azerbaijan with satelite pictures, intell and all other stuff. what can armenia do. nothing, even their Russia can't fight for them, because Karabagh is occupied by "we where genocided" people.

[Era_923]

just goe's to show your true face, "we are the protectors of Shia muslims in the world"

my ***...

you watched as your shia "brothers" where being slaughtered by armenians and didn't do a **** about it, infact you chared for armenias accomplishement. right now if a war was to break out armenia would resort to Russia. Azerbaijans military budget is higher than armenias state budget. has a more advanced and capable air force and army. so no, armenia can't take jackshit.

if any war was to happen for karabagh Turkey would help Azerbaijan with satelite pictures, intell and all other stuff. what can armenia do. nothing, even their Russia can't fight for them, because Karabagh is occupied by "we where genocided" people.

Your ignorance amazes me.If Iran hadn't open its border for Azerbaijan in Karabakh war,Armenia would have captured more territory of Azerbaijan and could even defeat them completely.We almost stayed neutral in the whole war and helped the both sides and trie to make a peace agreement between the both sides which they refused.What about you?Why didn't Turkey helped its 'Turk' brothers and played the role of potato in the war?

[BelligerentPacifist]

azerbaijan should feel VERY embarrsed for supporting a state which oppreses our palestinian brothers and sisters on daily bases. shame on azeri cowards.

A list of States that daily oppress your brothers and sisters might also include all of what is called the Arab world, Iran, Pakistan, China, India, Phillipines, Russia...

[ASQ-1918]

LOL, what kind of logic is that?

This 1.6 billion dollars are neither the first nor last contract for modernization of Azerbaijani armed forces.

But what has this do with Iran is beyond me, no one said anything about Iran. why do you guys jump on and write things like that?

[kobiraaz]

This Turk-Irani-Arab fight always amused me. Bunch of silly people! Yesterday i was watching National geographic... Three Cheetah ( apparently brothers ) were fighting against each other and didn't notice a lion is approaching towards them! When they noticed, it was too late to run away!

Anyway trading with Zionists is disgraceful for any muslim! Why blaming Azeri when we all have back door relation with Israel??

[DarkPrince]

This Turk-Irani-Arab fight always amused me. Bunch of silly people! Yesterday i was watching National geographic... Three Cheetah ( apparently brothers ) were fighting against each other and didn't notice a lion is approaching towards them! When they noticed, it was too late to run away!

Anyway trading with Zionists is disgraceful for any muslim! Why blaming Azeri when we all have back door relation with Israel??

gud 1 farhaan bro

[Oscar]

CALM DOWN FOLKS!

[Project 627]

they can only hold on to karabagh for some time with their joke army.

Funny because your brothers got their ***** handed to them by our joke army.

cool, maybe you can bomb them with some of your lovely 40 year old second hand bombers...

Or we could use these

SCUD-C


W-80


Tochka-U

if a war was to happen for karabagh Russia can't do a ****.

Russia ***** slapped America's main ally in the Caucuses in 2008 with out any fear of American retaliation. So of their are not afread of superpower USA, you think they even blink about the thought you.

Turkey sends help and done with your occupation...

Ohh yeah we all saw how the mighty Turk sent their Army too stop Big Bad Evil Armenians from annihilating their brothers in 1992. Ohh wait

[silko]

Funny because your brothers got their ***** handed to them by our joke army.

as ASQ said, there where a lot of trouble in the government of Azerbaijan at that time. coups here and there and you attack a country that already is in heavy problems, not something new by the "genocided people".

Or we could use these

SCUD-C


W-80


Tochka-U

no problem for Azeri air force with Turkish missiles and training...

Russia ***** slapped America's main ally in the Caucuses in 2008 with out any fear of American retaliation. So of their are not afread of superpower USA, you think they even blink about the thought you.

hmm, let's see. Georgia, a part of NATO? no. putin wouldn't dare touch Turkey. putin is all talk no action when it comes to NATO.

why USA will start a war because of Georgia? you must be stupid to think so. yeah, that silly idiot putin is scared of Turkey. even their generals keep talking about Turkish superiority in a lot of denece fields.

Ohh yeah we all saw how the mighty Turk sent their Army too stop Big Bad Evil Armenians from annihilating their brothers in 1992. Ohh wait

the fact that you can't see a difference between 1992 Turkey and 2012 Turkey just shows your stupidity. ofcourse i can't blame you, since armenia have been in the same spot for 20 years now.

Turkish, Chechen and even Afghani civilians came to help Azerbaijan. Russia can't help you if Azerbaijan decides to take back Karabgh since it isn't a part of armenia.

then we'll see if your big brother putin will be there to help "the genocided people" from a NATO and Turkey ally Azerbaijan.

[ASQ-1918]

Scuds from world war 2 era are useless against Azerbaijani air-defence...S-300PMU2 and now new Israeli systems.

Yes you got 4 WM-80, a failed project from 80s, which China itself rejected. Big deal?

Azerbaijan signed contracts with IMI worth several hundred million USD for modern Lynx system, with guided rockets.

EXTRA

[ASQ-1918]

delete......

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Since its contract with IAI, it may include:

* Heron and Heron TP UAVs, including licence production.
* Spyder air defence system.
* Harpy and Harop suicide drones.
* Aircraft upgrades.
* Griffin laser guided bomb kits.
* Nimrod long range anti tank missile.
* Various radar systems by Elta (IAI's subsidiary).