Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijani and Turkish fighter jets have performed operational flights as part of the TurAz Falcon - 2021 joint flight and tactical exercises, the Defence Ministry reported on September 10.

The exercises were aimed at improving interoperability and communication in joint operations between the fighter jets of the two countries, which have different characteristics, the report added.

Along with the destruction of a hypothetical enemy's air defence systems and strategic military targets, the fighter aircraft also successfully fulfilled close-range air combat and other tasks during the exercises.

The TurAz Falcon - 2021 joint Azerbaijani-Turkish air forces' flight and tactical drills kicked off in Turkey’s Konya city on September 2.

The drills are held on the annual military cooperation plan between the two countries and are to last until September 17.

Azerbaijan’s military attaché to Turkey Colonel Mushvig Mammadov visited the servicemen joining the drills and familiarized himself with the process, the ministry said on September 8.

At the meeting with the commander of the Turkish airbase, Onder Shansoz, Mammadov stressed the importance of the joint military exercises for experience exchange between the two countries' servicemen.

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, 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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