Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Azerbaijan is upgrading its military units in line with the Action Plan for 2020.

Defense Minister of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov took part in the opening of another military facility that meets modern requirements.

It was reported that the storages for large-sized military equipment, a fuel-supply point and an open area for testing were established in the vehicle park of the military unit.

Hasanov got acquainted with the conditions in the vehicle storages, as well as in the technical control, maintenance and repair points equipped with new equipment that are located in the park and gave relevant instructions.

Azerbaijan has been actively strengthening its armed forces in recent years. It's army is equipped with modern weapons from the best manufacturers.

Azerbaijan ranked 23rd globally for the volume of imports of weapons in 2014-2018. The country spent $22,7bn on defence-related products in 2009-2016, thereby becoming Europe’s largest weapons importer, according to Bloomberg.

Baku has the strongest army in the South Caucasus, according to Global Fire Power ranking 2020. The country ranked 64th among 138 countries considered for the annual Global Fire Power review this year.

Azerbaijan cooperates with about 60 countries in the military-technical sphere and has an agreement on military-technical cooperation with more than 30 countries.

Azerbaijani Armed Forces have three branches: the Azerbaijani Land Forces, the Azerbaijani Air and Air Defence Force, and the Azerbaijani Navy. Associated forces include the Azerbaijani National Guard, the Internal Troops of Azerbaijan, and the State Border Service, which can be involved in state defense under certain circumstances.

Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijani government ministry, associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan and the surveillance of the Azerbaijani sector of Caspian Sea sea and airspace. Defense Minister is appointed and removed from the post by the Commander-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, President of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan joined the NATO-led "Partnership for Peace" (PFP) programme in 1994, as well as the NATO Planning and Review Process (PARP) in 1996.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry supports the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to conduct a ceasefire monitoring exercises on the Line of Confrontation of the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as on the state border.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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