Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani-Turkish joint tactical flight and naval drills are underway, the Defence Ministry has reported.

On September 7, the ministry said that Azerbaijan and Turkey continue the TurAz Falcon - 2021 joint flight tactical drills in Turkey’s Konya city.

The Azerbaijani and Turkish military pilots carried out daytime combat flights under the drills plan. The pilots were briefed about the operation plan, weather conditions, and other technical issues before the flights, the report added.

As part of a joint operation, Azerbaijani and Turkish military pilots successfully completed the task of destroying hypothetical enemy air defence systems, strategic facilities and aircraft defending these facilities.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani military pilots participate in the drills on Su-25 attack aircraft and MiG-29 jet fighters. The exercises will last until September 17.

In a separate report on the same day, the ministry said that the two countries also continue the joint naval exercises, which involve underwater attack and underwater defence groups.

As part of the exercises, the Azerbaijani Navy special forces along with the Turkish servicemen, carried out combat live-fire drills to plan operations, neutralize a hypothetical terrorist and sabotage group and destroy their temporary base.

During the drills, the targets of the imaginary enemy were destroyed and the tasks were successfully fulfilled. Boats were involved in the operations, the ministry said.

Military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey first emerged in 1992, with an agreement signed between the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments on military education and weapon equipment and deals to help strengthen the bond between the two nations.

On June 15, 2021, the two countries signed a memorandum of alliance that cemented the existing military, political and economic cooperation.

The Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations that President Ilham Aliyev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed during the first official visit to Shusha eight months after Azerbaijan’s victory in the war with Armenia, also focuses on defence cooperation.

It affirms joint efforts by the two armies in the face of foreign threats. The declaration also pledges joint efforts for the restructuring and modernization of the armed forces. Moreover, the two nations affirm to encourage the execution of joint projects with the aim of developing capabilities in the field of sea, air, and space.

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