Azerbaijan

Baku accuses Armenia of illegal military activities in the region

On November 20, a joint press briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense regarding new facts of illegal military activities and planning of another military crime by Armenia exposed following the anti-terror measures by the Armed Forces in Karabakh region was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.

"During the speeches, it was recalled that for almost 30 years of Armenian occupation and the post-conflict period, Azerbaijan has regularly brought the presence of the Armenian armed forces threatening peace and security in the territories of Azerbaijan, as well as the landmine threat into the attention of the international community. Detection and removal of more than 10000 anti-personnel, 3000 anti-tank mines and up to 12000 unexploded devices as a result of the activities carried out by the engineer-sapper units of the Azerbaijan Army in our territories after the 44-day Patriotic War was noted," the report said.

"It was mentioned that contrary to the norms of international law, as well as the provisions of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Armenia has deployed a large amount of military equipment and ammunition in the region without informing international organizations, including the relevant UN and OSCE structures. It was emphasized that notwithstanding the calls of Azerbaijan to stop these violations, the international community's indifference to this challenge has increased the tensions in the region," the statement reads.

"At the same time, Azerbaijani territories were illegally used for activities such as re-modification and transfer of ammunition to foreign countries by Armenia. It was noted that Armenia continued to transfer weapons and equipment and newly produced landmines to our territories even in the post-conflict period until the establishment of a border checkpoint on the Lachin road. Moreover, civilian objects in the region, even the safety of aircraft, and large-scale reconstruction activities were targeted," the information emphasized.

"During the briefing, images were also presented demonstrating the scale of militarization in the region. Videos that were discovered after the anti-terror measures reflecting the training of civilians and military personnel with workshop-modified drones and the targeting of civilian objects in Azerbaijan were demonstrated. The participants of the briefing got acquainted with samples of modified weapons, drones, 2021-produced ammunitions, and landmines confiscated from the territory following the anti-terror measures," the ministry concluded.

Military delegation visits Georgia

On November 22, Director General Mr. Agil Gurbanov and, Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov, and the deputies of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan were on a working visit to Georgia. A memorial in Heroes Square erected in memory of the citizens who died for the territorial integrity and independence of Georgia was visited. At the meeting held at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, further expansion of cooperation in military, military-technical, and military educational fields and several issues of mutual interest were discussed.

After a day, the leadership of the Defense Ministry visited the State Military Scientific-Technical Center "Delta" in Tbilisi. At the meeting held in the center, detailed views were exchanged on several issues of common interest in the field of military-technical cooperation.

Local training

On November 23, the ministry reported that according to the combat training plan approved by the Naval Forces Commander, the Marine special forces of the Azerbaijan Naval Forces performed parachute jumps. Complicated parachute jumps from a height of 600 and 1200 meters were completed by the Marine special forces. Besides, landing tasks from helicopters were performed using various methods. The main objectives of the conducted classes are to ensure the maintenance of combat readiness of the servicemen at a high level and to improve their practical skills in the accomplishment of combat tasks in extreme circumstances.

Georgia

High-level delegation attends South-East European Defense Ministry meeting

On November 22, the Minister of Defense of Georgia, who was on a visit to the Republic of Turkey, attended the South-East European Defense Ministry (SEDM). Speaking at the working session, Juansher Burchuladze talked about the importance of international cooperation in ensuring the region's peace, stability, and security. The minister drew attention to Georgia's participation in the ongoing projects within the framework of SEDM, the importance of candidate status, Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and the defense modernization process implemented for this purpose. 16 NATO members and partner countries were participating in the Southeast European Defense Ministerial, which Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is hosting. The ministerial participants discussed regional security issues and perspectives of cooperation, after which a joint statement will be signed. Georgia became a member of SEDM in 2015. The purpose of the ministerial is to consolidate cooperation between the countries of the region, promote security and peace in the region, as well as the integration of the countries of the region into the Euro-Atlantic structures. 

Local training

On the same day, an event dedicated to establishing the Special Operations Unit was held in Mukhrovani. Military personnel conducted demonstration training. The training included raids, fire coordination, clearing the object, hostage release, and exploding the object. After the construction, the special operations base will be placed at the new Mukhrovani base. In total, 24 new buildings will be built, and three old buildings will be rehabilitated.

On November 26, the 12th Infantry Battalion of the 1st Brigade of the Eastern Command of the Defense Forces of Georgia successfully completed the training and evaluation program. The program lasted for a month and included field exercises and combat firing. At the final stage of training, field situational training was conducted in conditions as close as possible to the real environment. Battalion-level combat shootings were conducted in day and night conditions at the Vaziani shooting range. The battalion, by supporting collective tasks, performed defensive and offensive operations. The OPFOR company in the combat training center provided them with conditions close to their real environment. The training was evaluated positively by the observers and controllers of the combat training center. 

Expansion of cooperation with Romania, Germany

On November 23, within the framework of the South-East European Defense Ministry (SEDM), Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze met with Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr. The parties emphasized the existing strategic cooperation between Georgia and Romania. Juansher Burchuladze thanked his Romanian colleague for supporting Georgia's sovereignty, as well as Georgia's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO. The importance of the recommendation issued by the European Commission on granting the EU candidate status to Georgia was noted. The two countries' defense ministers also discussed the plans for bilateral cooperation. In this regard, attention was focused on the cooperation agreement document, which was signed in 2022. The parties also discussed the participation of the Romanian side in the initiatives envisaged by the NATO-Georgia Essential Package (SNGP). The conversation also touched on the participation of Romanian observers in the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) and the participation of the Georgian soldiers in military exercises. 

On November 25, defense agencies of the Federal Republic of Georgia and Germany agreed on the future directions of cooperation. At the meeting held at the Ministry of Defense, the main topic of the consultations was to summarize the ongoing cooperation between the two countries' defense agencies and define the priorities of cooperation for 2024. The parties expressed their desire to continue and expand intensive alliances in the field of defense and discussed specific directions. Representatives of the Georgian Defense Agency thanked the German side for their unwavering, consistent, practical support and focused on the role of the Federal Republic of Germany as the most important partner of Georgia; during the meeting, in the process of developing Georgian defense forces, increasing its defense capability, implementation of NATO-Georgian essential package (SNGP) in Germany Nii's role as a special partner and leader of the state was also noted.

On November 26, a delegation of the General Headquarters of the Italian Armed Forces visited Georgia. The purpose of the visit was to hold bilateral consultations between agencies in the defense field. At a meeting held at the Ministry of Defense, the parties discussed current cooperation issues and prospects for future cooperation. The Georgian side presented the Italian guests about the reforms in the Ministry of Defense. After the end of the meeting, the Georgian and Italian defense agencies signed their bilateral cooperation plan for 2024. The ministries of defense of Italy and Georgia actively cooperate within the framework of the NATO-Georgia Essential Package (SNGP) on international military exercises and military-civilian cooperation, military education, and aviation. The organizational issues of high-level visits were also touched on during the consultations.

Armenia

No important information was published by the official accounts of the Armenian Defense Ministry during the week.