NATO — Azerbaijan: synergy of standards and combat experience Expert opinions on Caliber.Az

This week, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defence, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, met with a delegation led by Deputy Chief of Staff for the Partnerships Directorate at NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Rear Admiral Yusuf Karagülle, who is visiting the country as part of the “16th NATO Days” programme.

Welcoming the guests, the Minister of Defence noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and NATO, which are of special significance, make a positive contribution to the training of professional military personnel on both sides.

Colonel General Hasanov highly appreciated NATO’s role in maintaining global peace and security, emphasised that Azerbaijan always places great importance on cooperation with the Alliance, and reported the deployment of additional forces within the framework of the Operational Capability Concept (OCC)

Rear Admiral Karagülle highly commended the further expansion of ties between Azerbaijan and NATO, as well as the country’s participation in Alliance operations aimed at ensuring security, stability, and crisis response. He particularly highlighted the effectiveness of mutual visits and meetings conducted in various formats.

According to him, the professionalism of more than 40 Azerbaijani Army officers who served in NATO headquarters under the  Partnership Staff Post (PSP) Concept was highly appreciated.

During the meeting, there was an exchange of views on the current state and prospects for the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Alliance in the military sphere and military education, as well as discussions of future plans.

How should the overall importance and necessity of Azerbaijan’s cooperation with NATO be assessed? What does it bring to the country from a military and political perspective?

Renowned foreign analysts shared their views with Caliber.Az.

Ukrainian military expert and historian Mykhailo Zhirohov believes that the process of closer cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan is of mutual interest.

“NATO’s interest is obvious. They are trying to analyse all the wars that have taken place in recent years, particularly the Russian-Ukrainian and Azerbaijani-Armenian conflicts. For example, only Azerbaijan has real experience dealing with air defence systems of Russian and Soviet origin, as well as experience in using drones. Even if this is in specific mountainous conditions, this experience is extremely valuable.

On the other hand, the Azerbaijani Army is undergoing a transition from a post-Soviet model to a modern army. And there is simply no better example than NATO standards or Western weapons, as we have seen in the case of our own war. Transitioning to Western arms involves both an exchange of experience and the sharing of certain practices. Therefore, this is a natural process, and over time such cooperation will only continue to grow,” Zhirohov emphasised.

Doctor of Military and Political Sciences, Professor Vakhtang Maisaia (Georgia), highly values the NATO-plus-Azerbaijan format of cooperation.

“I believe that in the near future there will be an opportunity to create a new, separate format. The fact is that Azerbaijan and Türkiye are strategic allies, and Türkiye is a NATO member. Naturally, the training of Azerbaijan’s armed forces in terms of combat readiness, operational planning, and military-technical cooperation is already being carried out according to NATO standards.

I believe this will further strengthen the relationship between the Alliance and Azerbaijan, enhance the spirit of mutual trust, and, of course, give the Azerbaijani Army the opportunity to participate in operations that address asymmetrical military threats, which are becoming a key type of threat at the global level today,” the professor noted.

According to him, in this context, both politically and militarily, NATO–Azerbaijan relations have a solid foundation thanks to the implementation of projects through Türkiye — a country that is de facto one of the most capable and highly skilled military players in the Alliance.

“Another important point is that the extensive combat experience that the Azerbaijani armed forces have accumulated in recent years will be extremely valuable and beneficial for NATO member states and the Alliance’s strategic military leadership.

I believe the issue should be considered precisely in this context. In other words, mutually beneficial strategic cooperation in the NATO-plus-Azerbaijan format can be fully anticipated,” Maisaia concluded.