Azerbaijan Strengthens Cyber Defense Through Internal and Bilateral Cooperation

The Government of Azerbaijan is implementing a strategic expansion of its cyber defense capabilities through both domestic policy and international partnerships. Under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and following a June 2026 Digital Development Council meeting chaired by First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, the state is executing the Digital Development Acceleration Action Plan for 2026-2028.

To support this framework, the Innovation and Digital Development Agency recently convened the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport to coordinate on artificial intelligence and digitalization. A key component of this internal effort involves the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center, which provides professional information security training to Ministry of Defense personnel to counter modern threats.

Parallel to these domestic initiatives, Azerbaijan is extending its security cooperation abroad. Military cybersecurity experts from Azerbaijan and Serbia met in Baku on July 8, 2026, as part of the 2026 Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan. These consultations, hosted by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense, focused on protecting critical infrastructure and sharing operational experience to counter evolving cyber incidents. Both nations discussed future joint cybersecurity exercises and enhanced specialist training to improve their respective defense capabilities.