Pakistan signs contract to sell JF-17 fighter jets to Azerbaijan

By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan's military said on Thursday that the country has signed a contract to sell JF-17 Block III fighter jets to Azerbaijan.

The aircraft is co-produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and developed jointly with China, with whom Islamabad has grown increasingly close as ties with traditional military ally the United States have weakened over the last few years.

The military did not provide the cost or quantity of jets agreed to, but said in a statement that the sale was part of Islamabad's efforts to enhance defence cooperation with friendly countries and bolster the air power capabilities of Azerbaijan.

Pakistan is also a close ally of Turkey, which backed Azerbaijan in its standoff with Armenia when clashes erupted between the two South Caucasus countries last year, resuming decades-old hostilities.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev was in Pakistan in July on a state visit where the two countries agreed to enhance cooperation in a number of areas, including defence.

Following the visit, Pakistan deployed an air force contingent at Baku to participate in the Azerbaijan defence exhibition to showcase the aircraft, Pakistan's military said.

The aircraft "is capable of undertaking a wide array of combat missions providing contemporary airpower employment options," the statement added.

(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Alex Richardson and Mark Porter)

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