Türkiye and Azerbaijan on Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Shusha Declaration, elevating their ties to an alliance, an ongoing process highlighted with a string of concrete steps. The two countries have enjoyed warm ties from time immemorial, but their formal alliance was put into the text with the Shusha Declaration signed on June 15, 2021, by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, in the eponymous city of Azerbaijan. Since the declaration that elevated the status of strategic partnership, countries joined forces for cooperation for regional peace, solidarity and development.
The declaration is a testament to the comprehensive cooperation that will be maintained in all strategic fields, particularly national security. It envisions reinforcing partnership in many fields, from the military and defense industry to energy and transportation, from the economy to humanitarian relations. More importantly, the declaration affirmed joint action against threats and attacks against the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and border security of any one of the countries. Political pundits say the declaration is a turning point for reinforcing regional peace, security and cooperation.
It also includes a vision on the Turkic world, the two countries are part of and sets out goals for international promotion of Turkic cultural heritage, joint work on regional and global scale for development of the Turkic world. Erdoğan branded it as a road map in new era of Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations.
Azerbaijan demonstrated its commitment to brotherly relations after the signing of the declaration with solidarity with Türkiye following Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes in southern Türkiye. Azerbaijan was the first country to extend aid to Türkiye in the aftermath of what Türkiye calls “disaster of century” which killed tens of thousands of people. The amount of aid from Azerbaijan to Türkiye reached to $45 million. Azerbaijan also sent search and rescue crews and healthcare personnel to aid Türkiye and organized an aid campaign. It also allocated financial support amounting to $100 million for recovery of Kahramanmaraş, the province at the epicenter of the earthquake. Today, Kahramanmaraş hosts an entire neighborhood built by Azerbaijan, as well as a school, culture center and a park.
In September 2023, Türkiye announced strong support for Azerbaijan’s operations in Karabakh against Armenian separatists.
The relations were further reinforced with additional agreements and protocols in defense industry cooperation. Two countries launched joint production in the sector. In March 2024, Türkiye’s leading defense firm Baykar signed a joint research, development and production agreement with Azerbaijan’s defense ministry for AI-supported unmanned systems, technical maintenance and logistics coordination. Azerbaijan also plans to acquire fifth-generation KAAN fighter jets manufactured by Türkiye.
Countries also renewed their commitment on energy cooperation. In March 2025, the Iğdır-Nakhchivan natural gas pipeline with a capacity of 2 million cubic meters of natural gas daily was inaugurated.
In terms of connectivity, two countries outlined the future of the Kars-Nakhchivan railroad in August 2025. The railroad is expected to be completed in 2029.
In a message to an international conference held in Shusha on the occasion of the anniversary, President Aliyev said Azerbaijan strived to boost cooperation with various countries in the aftermath of the era where Azerbaijan faced occupation, international threats and injustice. Aliyev underlined that his country pursued decisive policies for lasting peace and stability in its region.
He underlined that strengthening solidarity and cooperation with the Turkic world was essential for international cooperation. “Our family, the Turkic world, is evolving into an influential geopolitical hub in the 21st century,” he stated.
The conference entitled “Regional Contribution to Global Security: Peacebuilding in the South Caucasus” was organized by New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) and hosted officials and experts from several countries, including Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Laos, Moldova, Cambodia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Belarus, China, North Macedonia, Georgia and Serbia.
Speaking at the conference, YAP deputy chair and secretary-general Tahir Budagov described the Shusha Declaration as a document of conceptual and strategic vision for the future that serves to promote peace, stability, security and cooperation in the region. “Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations are upgraded to a new level and now constitute one of the most important pillars of regional security architecture,” Budagov said. He said the declaration was based on the late President Heydar Aliyev’s definition of relations as “one nation, two states.” “It is rational next sequence of revered National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s immortal idea of National Salvation ideology, in the current geopolitical conditions,” Budagov stated. He said peace in the region was strengthened not only through political agreements but also through the implementation of mutual economic interests. “Historical experience indicates that conflict risks de-escalate in the regions with advanced economic integration and the cooperation becomes a guarantee for stability. Future of South Caucasus should be built upon open communication lines, transportation lines, cooperation based on mutual benefit and regional integration,” Budagov also said.
Speaking at the event, Şamil Ayrım, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) who also chairs Parliament’s Türkiye-Azerbaijan Interparliamentary Committee of Friendship, echoed Budagov’s remarks. “The Shusha Declaration is not merely a document improving relations between two brotherly countries. It is also a strategic road map for lasting peace, security, economic development and regional cooperation in the South Caucasus.”
