Turkish and Azerbaijani fighter jets took off as part of a joint military exercise in Azerbaijan on Monday, the latter’s Defense Ministry reported Tuesday morning.
As per a military cooperation deal between the two countries, Ankara and Baku are holding an extensive drill designed to ensure the coordination of units during battle, improve their administration, share experience and enhance professionalism. The drill encompasses the Azerbaijani cities of Baku, Astara, Jabrayil and Imishli.
The troops, including land and air forces, special units, intelligence units, and missile and artillery units, are using Turkish F-16s and special-purpose fortification equipment for the exercise.
The exercise continued over Monday night into early Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, as the units destroyed the vehicles and personnel of the figurative enemy.
This week’s drill follows the flight-tactical training the countries conducted earlier this year in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev noted the importance of the joint drill following a meeting with Türkiye’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in Baku, where the two called on Armenia to "respond to Türkiye and Azerbaijan's calls for peace" over the Karabakh dispute.
Aliyev pledged that the two countries will "always stand side-by-side."
Türkiye was a key backer of Azerbaijan during the 44-day Karabakh war between Baku and Yerevan, which erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10. During the faceoff that started in September 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.
Reinforcing historical bonds
The defense ministers of the two countries, Akar and Azerbaijani Defense Minister and Col. Gen. Zakir Hasanov, were on site with their command committees to oversee the first day’s activities and also addressed the soldiers.
"Activities like this further reinforce the bond between two brotherly nations with a shared culture and deep historical ties," Akar contended.
Türkiye and Azerbaijan are "always one and united" against any sort of threat and danger, he said.
"No matter where the threat or the provocation comes from, we know how to be a single military, a single power and a single fist with Azerbaijan. We view threats or provocations against Türkiye or Azerbaijan as targeting both," Akar said.
"The world has witnessed and understood the most beautiful example of brotherhood during the ‘One Nation Operation’ when you liberated lands that had been occupied by Armenia for 30 years," he added.
He explained that while the world undergoes a critical period in which uncertainty, risks, threats and dangers are increasing, the facilitation of Türkiye and Azerbaijan’s security is "only possible by having an effective, dissuasive and respectable army."
"And for a powerful military, modern warfare weapons, vehicles and tools, as well as well-trained personnel that can operate this equipment are essential," he noted and described the military exercises as "the most effective way of training personnel for the conditions of a field operation."
Akar lauded President Erdoğan and President Aliyev’s "astute" leadership in working to bring peace and stability to the South Caucasus. "Their efforts must be supported by all for permanent peace. Our genuine desire is that Armenia takes the olive branch Türkiye and Armenia are extending," he said.