"TurAz Falcon – 2016" military exercises underway
By Nazrin Gadimova
Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey have begun joint military exercises titled ‘TurAz Falcon – 2016’, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.
A group of Azerbaijani servicemen left for Konya to participate in the exercises, which started on March 7 and will continue until March 25. These military drills are being held in accordance with the annual plan of military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The joint exercises involve nine aircrafts of Azerbaijani Armed Forces, including MiG-29, a twin-engine jet fighter aircraft, SU-25, a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft and IL-76, a multi-purpose four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter.
This is the second joint exercises of the two countries’ air forces in accordance with the annual plan of military cooperation. The first ‘TurAz Falcon’ was held in Azerbaijan in September 2015.
During the last year’s drills, the Azerbaijani and Turkish air forces performed tasks of the joint actions planning, improved capabilities of interaction and coordination in carrying out operations, fulfilled search and rescue actions, and eliminated ground targets with air strikes.
More than 30 means of aviation of the Azerbaijani and Turkish air forces were involved in the drills.
Baku and Ankara enjoy strategic relations in many fields, including the military sphere. Military cooperation between these two neighboring nations dates back to 1992 when they signed an agreement on military education. Since then, the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments have been closely cooperating in both defense and security fields.
In December 2010, the two countries signed a range of treaties provisioning for military assistance should any of the party be attacked by third party.
Based on numerous agreements on joint military exercises as part of bilateral progressive efforts towards military cooperation, the Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces have hold regular drills, featuring various tactical and combat tasks so far.
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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova
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