Baku, Ankara mull joint production of UAVs in Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan and Turkey are working on several projects to expand bilateral cooperation on the defense industry, including the joint production of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Azerbaijan, Turkish Defense Industries Chief Ismail Demir has said.

Demir told Turkish media that the goal is to to complement the deficiencies of the two countries in the defense industry.

"Let's take UAVs as an example. How effective will it be to create a UAV production plant there [in Azerbaijan], should we do it or should we build a different production model there? We think that the two countries will cooperate in such a way as to complement and strengthen each other. The defense industry is an area that requires significant resources. We must use our resources very efficiently. Instead of repeating ourselves, our investments must contribute to the development of both countries, "Demir said.

Azerbaijan and Turkey signed Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations that cemented the next stage of the defence cooperation between the two countries.   

The declaration was signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first official visit to Shusha on June 15, eight months after Azerbaijan’s victory in the war with Armenia.

The Turkish media has quoted Erdogan as saying during the visit that a plant would be built in Azerbaijan for the exchange of technologies and joint production of defense industry products.