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President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Czechia Andrej Babiš have discussed joint military equipment production and energy resource supplies from Azerbaijan to Czechia.
On 27 April, Babiš and Aliyev met in the Gabala District of northern Azerbaijan, which also hosted a Czech-Azerbaijani business forum.
During the meeting, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan procures significant volumes of military equipment from Czechia and has signed several contracts with Czech companies.
“We are currently planning to expand our scope of activity and launch joint production. Our teams are working on this right now. This is an extremely important field for any country, especially in the context of the growing number of wars and conflicts.”
He stated that every country must be ready to “defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of its borders.”
In turn, Babiš noted that a Czech-Slovak arms production group is “already active here,” adding that “within the framework of joint ventures, we are already manufacturing our own products.”
He also reported that other major Czech companies, such as the arms manufacturer Colt, the aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody, and the explosives producer Explosia, are offering “joint projects and cooperation” with Azerbaijan.
Babiš stated that Aero Vodochody has offered its Aero L-39NG jet trainer aircraft to Azerbaijan.
During the business forum, Babiš emphasized Azerbaijan’s role in providing 42% of Czechia’s energy—representing the vast majority of its energy supply.
“We would be very pleased to discuss long-term cooperation, long-term contracts, and bilateral investments. You will open new gas fields, and, of course, we are very interested in this matter,” he said.
Babiš added that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Czechia has reached €1.75 billion ($2 billion) since 2025 and “was mainly driven by crude oil supplies.”
During the visit, Babiš also stated that Czech companies are ready to participate in the development of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories.
His visit took place the day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to Azerbaijan.
Zelenskyy and Aliyev also met in Gabala, located south of the border with Russia. During his stay in Azerbaijan, Zelenskyy met with a Ukrainian group stationed in Azerbaijan to share “their experience and knowledge in the field of airspace protection and critical infrastructure facilities.”