The landmark Shusha Declaration signed by Turkey and Azerbaijan to take bilateral relations to the level of the alliance is officially 1-year-old.
"Declaration of Shusha on the relations of alliance between the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan" was signed by the two countries' presidents on June 15, 2021, at Shusha in Karabakh, Azerbaijan.
The declaration is the first document signed between Ankara and Baku, including the word "alliance." The parties in the declaration have pledged support for each other on significant issues at both international and regional levels.
Additionally, both countries expressed that they are determined to take the relations forward in many fields such as military, defense industry technologies, energy, transportation, economic and humanitarian relations.
With the Shusha Declaration, Turkey and Azerbaijan expressed their determination to act jointly in the case of a threat or an attack on the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity of any of the parties or the security of their internationally recognized borders.
The declaration carries importance in terms of not only the relations between the two countries but also their intent for regional cooperation.
The Shusha Declaration, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described as a "new-era roadmap for relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan," is also a guarantee that no new aggression will be allowed in the region, as well as deepening regional cooperation and integration in the Turkic world.
Turkey was a key backer of Azerbaijan during the 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire and sizeable Azerbaijani gains on Nov. 10.
