Armenian Security Delegation Makes Historic First Visit to Baku Amidst Azerbaijan's Military Buildup

An Armenian National Security Service (NSS) delegation, headed by Director Andranik Simonyan, arrived in Baku on the evening of 19 September, marking the first-ever such visit to Azerbaijan. The delegation is in the Azerbaijani capital to participate in the 3rd International Security Forum, which concludes on 21 September. This landmark diplomatic engagement comes as Azerbaijan plans a significant increase in its military spending and reforms its defence laws.

The Armenian officials travelled from Yerevan to Baku on a FlyOne-owned Gulfstream G450 aircraft in a flight that lasted 50 minutes, landing at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. While the Armenian NSS has not provided further details about the visit, its unprecedented nature has drawn significant commentary.

Political analyst Armine Margaryan described the news as hard to believe at first, noting that high-level contacts have historically been confidential and focused solely on conflict settlement. She emphasised that following the Washington agreements of 8 August, this norm must change to build trust. "The peace process is a change in mindset... And for this, mutual contacts and the gradual building of trust are essential, step by step," Margaryan wrote. She also expressed hope that the visit brings the return of Armenian prisoners of war still held in Baku "several steps closer".

This diplomatic outreach occurs against the backdrop of Azerbaijan's plans to bolster its military capabilities. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Finance has proposed increasing the defence and security budget by 318 million manat, to a total of 8.7 billion manat for 2026. If approved, this spending would account for 21% of the country's total budget.

The planned budget increase follows recent progress in the peace process, including the initialling of a peace treaty text by Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Washington on 8 August. However, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated on 21 August that despite peace efforts, "Azerbaijan must always be ready for war".

Further signalling a focus on national security, Azerbaijan recently amended its "Law on Defence" to expand the concept of territorial defence. The new legislation involves not just the armed forces but also state bodies, municipalities, and civilian entities in the country's defence mechanism. An analysis by the Caspian Research and Analysis Center suggests this move could lead to either a democratic "total defence" model or a more centralised, militarised state, depending on the quality of governance and oversight.