Turkey hopes Armenia abides by the terms of the Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire and that permanent peace and stability are ensured in the region, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said as he attended a joint drill with his Azerbaijani counterpart.
Akar was speaking to reporters after a briefing on the TURAZ Hawk 2021 drill, held at the 3rd Main Jet Base Command in Konya.
While noting that Turkey respects its neighbors’ territorial integrity and sovereignty, Akar said Turkey would never violate the land, air or sea borders of any of its neighbors, nor would it allow its own border security to be violated.
"Everyone should know that we do not have any secret agendas," Akar said.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions.
When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the nearly three-decade occupation.
A joint Turkish-Russian center was established to monitor the truce. Russian peacekeeping troops have also been deployed to the region.
Ankara has pledged its full support to Baku in its efforts to liberate its lands from Armenian occupation.
Despite a Nov. 10 deal last year ending the conflict, the Armenian army at times violated the agreement and killed several Azerbaijani soldiers and a civilian, and wounded a number of others, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s support strengthens Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said.
"The fact that we have a sibling-like Turkey, standing beside us, empowers us. The Azerbaijani people really value Turkey’s support," Hasanov said.
"The President of Turkey, the Defense Minister and other high-level officials have frequently provided Azerbaijan with political, moral and diplomatic support," he said, adding that this solidarity has shown the world the unbreakable bond between the two countries.
Eight combat aircraft, an airborne early warning and control aircraft, air defense systems and staff took part in the exercise.
Turkey and Azerbaijan also exchanged experiences regarding electronic combat.