📍New Delhi | 16 Dec, 2024, 5:27 PM
India-Azerbaijan: India and Azerbaijan have recently come an interesting turn in relations. Azerbaijan’s long struggle with its neighbour and rival country Armenia. As per the formulas, Azarbazan recently proposed to sell arms to India through a friendly country in the Middle East. But India did not pay attention to this offering of Azerbaijan and put it in a shelving. After the arms were sold to Armenia on behalf of India, Azerbaijan had publicly criticized the quality of Indian weapons, in which it was alleged that these weapons do not have any special impact on the military balance and Azerbaijan could easily combat them.
India-Azerbaijan: India’s clear stance
According to the sources, Azerbaijan did not directly offer it from India. Instead, through a third friend country it was conveyed that if India is looking for a long-term partner to export its indigenous weapons, he can collaborate Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has shown interest in specially Indian-made cannons and rounds. This interest came despite the recent purchase of JF-17 Block III fighter jets from Pakistan.
However, India slew this proposal and clarified that it may not have a third country’s role in deciding its bilateral relations and priorities.
India-Azerbaijan: India’s strong defence relationship with Armenia
Armenia has bought large quantities of weapons and defence systems from India to strengthen its armed forces in recent years. These include rocket launcher, artillery, ammunition, sniper rifles and anti-tank missiles.
According to sources, Armenia is also considering the possibility of buying Astra missiles from India to strengthen its Sukhoi SU-30 fighter aircraft fleet.
Armenia is not just a defense partner for India, but it is also considered a political associate in the field. Armenia has always supported India’s stance on Jammu and Kashmir, making both countries concerned and stronger.
Azarbajan's Turks and Deep Relationships from Pakistan
On the contrary, Azerbaijan is known for its close relations with Turki and Pakistan. Since 2017, these three countries have made efforts to deepen their trilateral cooperation. Recently in 2023, Azerbaijan also supported Pakistan’s stance on Jammu and Kashmir.
While Azerbaijan has relied on Turkey and Israel for its defence needs, Israel supplies a variety of weapons systems where Turkey advances drones and UAV technology. However, recent geopolitical events, in which Israel’s entanglement in the Gaza, leading to a reduction in arms exports, as the reasons have forced Azerbaijan to turn to the other market for the purchase of military equipment.
Nagorno-Karabakh Dispute
The struggle between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Ethnic Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region declared themselves as "Republic of EARTASakh" which did not recognize any country in the world, even by themselves Armenia did not.
There have been two major wars between the two countries on this dispute. Azerbaijan used drones and other state-of-the-art weapons purchased from Turkey in 2020 struggle. In September 2023, Azerbaijan recapsulated the Nagorno-Karabakh region through a military campaign.
Economic and Trading Relations: Azerbaijan vs Armenia
Azarbajan is an important business partner for India, based on political and diplomatic relations. In 2023, the trade between the two countries reached $ 1.435 billion, which is India’s largest economic relationship in the South Caucasian region.
India is the seventh largest trading partner of Azerbaijan and is the third largest importer of the crude oil of Azerbaijan. ONGC Foreign Limited (OVL) subsidiary of Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has recently extended its investment in Azerbaijan’s oil sectors and pipelines.
On the contrary, the trade between India and Armenia in 2023 was only $134 million, which is close to the tenth of the trade with Azerbaijan.
A growing number of Indian tourists in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan has become a popular destination for Indian tourists. In 2023, about 1,17,000 Indians visited Azerbaijan. In the first 10 months of 2024, this number grew to 2,01,000.
The visa rules behind this growing popularity have the availability of direct flights to Dhail and Azerbaijan from India. Currently, 14 direct flights are operated every week for Baku from Delhi and Mumbai. On the contrary, there is no direct flight available between India and Armenia.
India has overlooked the proposal to buy Azerbaijan’s weapons that it is alert and independent of its foreign policy and defence partners. India’s growing relations with Armenia are not only limited to the defence sector, but also point to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Armenia’s cooperation with countries such as France and Greece is critical of the importance of ensuring regional stability for India.
