Reports on Turkish Military Base in Azerbaijan 'Political Speculations' - Aliyev
© Photo : Press-service of the Azerbaijani president
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BAKU (Sputnik) - Media reports about Turkiye's alleged plans to establish a military base in Azerbaijan are political speculations, as there is no need for its creation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"To be brief, it is not necessary. To make my answer a little broader, taking into account that such information appears from time to time in some media, then I must say that there is no necessity [to establish a Turkish base]," Aliyev said in an interview by Dmitry Kiselev, the director general of the Rossiya Segodnya international media group.
The president also dismissed reports about a possible Turkish military base in Azerbaijan as "info-dumping" and "political speculation," saying that nowadays "it is practically impossible to hide the creation of a military base anywhere in the world.".
The Shusha Declaration on allied relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan provides for mutual military assistance in the event of a threat of armed aggression, Aliyev said.
"This is an obligation of both Turkiye and Azerbaijan to come to the aid of either party in the face of an external threat or external aggression. Therefore, this article of the declaration makes the creation of permanent military infrastructure on either territory absolutely unnecessary," he continued.
Aliyev also stressed that during more than 30 years of Turkish-Azerbaijani defense cooperation, Ankara and its military structures have played a significant role in modernizing the Azerbaijani army and bringing it up to high standards in terms of combat capability, operational planning, situation analysis, and military intelligence.
"We are very grateful to our Turkish friends for this assistance," the president added.
Baku Expects to Maintain Positive Dynamics in Relations With Moscow in 2025
Baku is pleased with the development of relations with Moscow and expects to maintain positive dynamics in 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
"We are happy with how our relations are developing, we value them. And I am sure that this positive dynamic will be maintained next year," Aliyev said.
Baku Hopes Change in US Administration Results in Shift of Geopolitical Guidelines
Azerbaijan hopes that the change in the US administration will also bring a change in the country's foreign policy guidelines, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
"I hope that the change of the US administration will also be a change of foreign policy guidelines," Aliyev said.
The hope for such changes stems from "the political experience gained by [US President-elect Donald] Trump during his first term and the statements made by him and his team during the election campaign and afterwards," Aliyev added.
"I believe that Washington, Moscow, and other capitals will have enough wisdom to avoid such a nightmarish scenario [of a Russia-NATO conflict]," the president said.
Azerbaijan is ready to make its contribution to easing tensions between Russia and NATO if necessary, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
"We are ready to make our contribution to the easing of tensions [between Russia and NATO] if there is such a need," Aliyev said during the interview conducted by Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the Rossiya Segodnya international media group.
Azerbaijan Plans to Buy Weapons From Russia, But Process Temporarily Suspended
Azerbaijan plans to continue purchasing Russian weapons, but this process has been temporarily suspended for objective reasons, lham Aliyev said.
"Yes, it [Azerbaijan] plans to. But I must say that for at least the last three years no new contracts for the purchase of Russian weapons have been signed," Aliyev said, adding that the purchasing process is "temporarily suspended for objective reasons."
The temporary absence of new contracts is explained by the fact that the Russian defense industry works for the domestic consumer, the president said.
"We closely monitor the latest developments in the Russian defense industry. We have already had new applications. We sent them relatively recently," Aliyev said.
France's Supply of Offensive Arms to Armenia Poses Practical Threat to Azerbaijan
France's supply of offensive weapons to Armenia poses a practical threat to Azerbaijan, Aliyev said.
"The weapons delivered by the government of [French President Emmanuel] Macron to Armenia are lethal offensive weapons that pose a practical threat to Azerbaijan," Aliyev said.
Baku has repeatedly warned Yerevan and Washington to halt these arms supplies, the president said.
"We have repeatedly informed Armenia and its patrons in the US State Department that this must stop. But, unfortunately, we have not been heard. The process of arming Armenia is proceeding at a great pace," Aliyev added.
Western arms deliveries to Armenia pressured Azerbaijan into adopting a record $5 billion defense budget, Aliyev said.
"We, obviously, have to respond adequately. Our defense budget for 2025 will be a record high — about $5 billion," Aliyev said during the interview.
France, India, and the US are behind arming Armenia, the president said, adding that Washington denies its part despite the fact that Baku has traced US military cargo planes in Armenian airports.
"I believe that this is a destructive way. First of all, Armenia will not be able to withstand an arms race with us. Despite the fact that they receive most of their arms from the West for free or in credit, which, of course, will then be written off. But even in this case they will not withstand an arms race with us," Aliyev added.
NATO Infrastructure Created on Azerbaijani-Armenian Border Posing as EU Mission
A NATO infrastructure has been created on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border under the guise of an EU observer mission, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
"Under the guise of so-called European observers, a NATO infrastructure has been set up on the Armenian side of our border," Aliyev said.
The issue of the observation mission was agreed upon with Baku in 2022, but its subsequent extension was not, the president said, adding that after the extension, the mission was expanded by more than 200 people.
"Moreover, this mission gradually turned into a NATO mission, as representatives of Canada joined it," Aliyev said.
The president noted that Baku and Yerevan had not agreed on two articles of the future peace treaty yet — on refraining from international lawsuits against each other and the presence of third countries on the border.
Azerbaijan is open to Russian investment and would welcome a greater role of Russian companies in the reconstruction of Nagorno-Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev said.
"We would welcome it and we welcome it. Both in terms of providing assistance, like the Astrakhan Region, and in terms of simply participating in projects. There are investment projects," Aliyev said.
Russian firms are already engaged in infrastructure projects, construction of bridges, roads and tunnels. The number of Russian contractors involved in the restoration efforts may rise given the complexity of the task to rebuild the war-torn region, Aliyev added.
The Azeri president estimated the damage caused to Nagorno-Karabakh by decades of armed struggle for its control at over $150 billion.
"We have recently completed an analysis of the damage caused. A detailed analysis. We spent four years on this. And it is documented. This is about more than $150 billion – the damage that was caused during the years of occupation," the Azerbaijani leader said.
