April 28, 2026
He was in Azerbaijan these days located Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. It should be noted that Azerbaijan is the largest supplier of oil to the Czech Republic, accounting for 42 percent of imports. But Babish and Aliyev did not only discuss issues of cooperation in the gas and energy sector, the military sector was also on the agenda.
“Another important area of cooperation between our countries is the defense industry. Here, too, there is long-term successful cooperation. We also buy quite a lot of military products from the Czech Republic, and at the current stage negotiations are underway on specific projects for the organization of joint production. I am sure that this sector will also be large-scale, because Azerbaijan ensures its defense potential, including at the expense of local production. And in the future, our cooperation with countries like the Czech Republic, which has a lot of experience in this field, is of special importance.” The President of Azerbaijan announced during a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.
Azerbaijani sources leaked https://haqqin.az/newsarchive/382424 that a new joint venture (VEXA DS) is to be opened in Azerbaijan by the CSG group of the Czech defense industry.
The company has been engaged in maintenance, repair and modernization of military equipment for many years and prefers projects that promise long-term benefits.
Let’s remind that at the end of 2025 we reported that Aliyev intends to acquire automatic artillery systems from Slovakia, and that Azerbaijan and Slovakia intend to start cooperation in the field of self-propelled artillery installations, ammunition production; Slovakian technology plus Azerbaijani money.
Already in February of this year 168.amthe reported that the mentioned becomes effective. Slovakia and Azerbaijan signed a big deal.
We are talking about a framework contract worth 210 million euros, by which SAM-120 automatic mortars will be supplied, and as the Minister of Defense of Slovakia Robert Kaliniak informed, the first batch of supplies will include 96 units of mortars.
And in 2024? 168.am also to write is that Azerbaijan continues to change the caliber of its artillery from Soviet to NATO, and that the Azerbaijani armed forces have received the first batch of L-45 DITA 155 mm self-propelled howitzers ordered from Slovakia.
The DITA L-45 howitzer was developed on the basis of the DANA self-propelled howitzer still produced in Czechoslovakia. Moreover, the Czech-made RM-70 Vampire rocket launcher system and the DANA self-propelled artillery system were used by Azerbaijan in the 44-day war. In the period before that already it turned out that arms from the Czech Republic and Slovakia reached Azerbaijan with the help of Israel.
And in 2018, Armenia visited Czech officials on various occasions informed that Czech-made Dana self-propelled howitzers and RM-70 multiple rocket launchers arrived from Slovakia to Israel and then to Azerbaijan. And at that time, even the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Czech Republic in Armenia admitted that those selling them did not have the permission of the Czech authorities.
In 2019, at that time, Slovakia’s Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miroslav Lajcak visited Armenia and held a joint press conference with RA Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, drawing his attention to the fact that their weapons are not arriving in Azerbaijan directly, but mediated, through third countries, particularly through Israel.
“There was a separate agreement between Slovakia and Israel, there were separate documents, in which it was stated that the final recipient is Israel. We discussed this issue several times with Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. I think the case is closed. We have explained everything in detail to each other, we have understood each other, I think that this discussion has stopped and will not continue, and the contract has also been terminated,” assured Lajchak.
But the same Lajcak was among the guests of honor at the Baku military parade dedicated to the 5th year of the Azerbaijani victory in the 44-day war, there were also other officials from Slovakia.
In other words, nothing changes in Aliyev’s military plans, and he continues to cooperate with the countries he cooperated with before the 44-day war, immediately after it, and now he is bringing this cooperation to a strategic level. In this case, we are talking about Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
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