Azerbaijan, Turkey to hold joint drills in Kars

18 January 2021 10:56 (UTC+04:00)

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By Vafa Ismayilova

Servicemen of Azerbaijan's Combined Arms Army will take part in the Winter Exercises-2021 to be held in Turkey's Kars city, the Defence Ministry reported on January 17.

A ceremony was held on the occasion of the departure of the military personnel and the military vehicles to be involved in the exercises.

At the ceremony, Major-General Fazil Agalarov spoke about the developing Azerbaijani-Turkish military-technical cooperation, the importance of the joint military drills that are annually held in Nakhchivan and Kars, the Azerbaijani Army's victory in the Patriotic War and wished success to servicemen of the units, who will take part in the Winter Exercises-2021.

After the speeches made at the ceremony, the units involved in the drills left Nakhchivan city to move in the direction of the Sadarak border checkpoint. Azerbaijani units crossed the Umid Bridge over the Araz River and continued to move towards Kars city, the ministry said.

In early September 2020, Azerbaijani and Turkish land and air forces held the large-scale joint military exercises in Nakhchivan under the bilateral agreement on military cooperation with the participation of the land forces and air force of the two countries. The first stage of the Azerbaijani-Turkish joint large-scale tactical exercises was held on July 30, 2020.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said on August 13, 2020, that the large-scale joint military drills held between Azerbaijani and Turkish troops are another manifestation of the Turkish-Azerbaijani unity and brotherhood, adding that "the intensity of these exercises will be increased from now on".