On the backdrop of the escalation of tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and just two weeks after Azerbaijan's offensive emptied Nagorno-Karabakh of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Azeri space agency Azercosmos announced on Tuesday they have signed an agreement for the sale of two Israeli-developed reconnaissance satellites for the Azersky-2 satellite program.
A picture published on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows IAI CEO Boaz Levy and Azercosmos Chairman Samaddin Asadov signing the agreement. The deal, announced last April, was signed Tuesday within the framework of the 74th International Astronautical Congress held in Baku.
Although Israeli-Azeri defense ties remain discreet, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute the majority of Azerbaijan's arms imports come from Israel.
A statement issued by the IAI said that "the companies signed on a cooperation agreement for the sale of two of IAI’s cutting-edge multispectral electro-optical satellites," adding that the "landmark deal represents a significant step forward in space technology and cooperation between the two companies."
