CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 26

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA
vidual Partnership Action Plan). Though consultations and strengthened
cooperation ended up with the adoption of National Security Concept in
2007, the process of adoption of the MD had become more complicated.
Although the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party had an overwhelming majori-
ty in Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan, ratifi cation of MD was de-
layed periodically. It took another three years to fi nalize the document,
and it was ratifi ed by the National Assembly only in June 2010, with the
110 votes in favor, with 2 against and one abstention out of 125 members
of Milli Mejlis.
The MD of Azerbaijan consists of general provisions, 7 main sections
and 75 clauses. 21 Doctrine is defensive in its character stating that nation-
al security objectives are based on defensive policy implementation and
protection of national interests of the RA. 22 MD defi nes military-strate-
gic, military-operational, military-technical dimensions of national secu-
rity handles tactics and techniques in order to achieve primary objectives
defi ned by National Security Concept. 23 The MD establishes the scope
of the country’s foreign and military cooperation as well. The document
is designed in a way to escape foreign dependency phrasing it “as a di-
rect threat to the sovereignty of the RA (3.21). 24 Thus, Azerbaijan did not
make its strategic choice as other countries in the South Caucasus did. 25
Although Euro-Atlantic integration was stated as a vision, becoming a
member of NATO’s military bloc is not a goal of Azerbaijan.
Tackling external threats
The doctrine defi nes possible internal and external threats and deter-
mines means how to eliminate them. Although the domestic issues such
as prevention of fi nancial and economic crisis, security of energy resourc-
es, containment of separatist movements, etc. play a signifi cant role in
elaboration and implementation of MD, the scope of capstone put for-
ward the examination of external directedness of the MD and policy im-
plementation derived from it. If to analyze the main external threats re-
fl ected in the MD, the three main categories will be formed:
21
22
23
24
25
The Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, “The Military Doctrine of the Republic of
Azerbaijan,” (2010).
Roman Temnikov, “The Military doctrine of Azerbaijan: it is very balanced unlike other
doctrines,” Sputnik.az, 2010, https://az.sputniknews.ru/news/20100609/43433685.html (ac-
cessed June 7, 2018); “Azerbaijan Adopts Military Doctrine at Long Last.” Radio Liberty
(Radio Free Europe), June 9, 2010, https://www.rferl.org/a/Azerbaijan_Adopts_Military_
Doctrine_At_Long_Last/2066758.html (accessed June 11, 2018).
The Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, “The Military Doctrine of the Republic of
Azerbaijan.”
Ibid.
Temnikov, “The Military doctrine of Azerbaijan”.
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