Report: Azerbaijan buying Israeli coast guard vessels

Azerbaijan is reportedly acquiring 21 new coast guard vessels from Israel, according to Eurasianet.org.

While Azerbaijan made no formal announcement about such a purchase, Jane's, the defense and intelligence publication, confirmed Thursday that the Azerbaijan Coast Guard ordered six Shaldag Mk V patrol boats and six Saar 62 offshore patrol vessels.

Jane's based it assertion on images obtained in mid-July showing details of work being done on the vessels at a new shipyard. Images of the vessels are available on the website of the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

According to Eurasianet, posters exhibited at the formal opening of the shipyard by President Aliyev "suggested that Azerbaijan was looking at a more heavily armed Israeli ship, the Saar 72 corvette."

Azerbaijan has purchased arms from Israel in past.

In 2012, Israel signed a $1.6 billion arms deal with Azerbaijan, committing to sell drones and anti-aircraft missile defense systems to Baku. Last year, Iran warned Azerbaijan regarding its purchase of Gabriel-5 anti-ship missiles, the Iranian Fars News Agency reported.

(Haaretz)

Bakudaily.Az