Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Azerbaijan's Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov met with Head of the Turkish Armed Forces' General Staff's Office of General Planning and Principles on December 18.

Corps Gen. Alpaslan Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the meeting's activity within the framework of Azerbaijani-Turkish military dialogue at the highest level, organized in Baku in accordance with bilateral cooperation plan.

He said military cooperation between the two countries is based on friendly and brotherly relations.

Referring to measures for developing armed forces and the importance of bilateral issues in the current political and military situation in the region, Zakir Hasanov emphasized the importance of resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the region.

The sides also exchanged views on the prospects of developing relations between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey and other issues.

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Turkey to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Cosgun and Military Attache of Turkey in Azerbaijan Brigadier General Hasan Nevzat Tasdeler also took part in the meeting.

Military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey was established in 1992 with an agreement on military education signed between the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments. Since then, the two governments have has close cooperation on defense and security.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have signed more than 100 military protocols since 1992. The inked documents include a 1997 border protocol, a 2001 protocol between the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan and the General Staff of Turkey, a 2002 document between the same government agencies on cooperation in the area of war history, military archives, and museum work, and a 2003 document between the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey on training and assistance for Azerbaijan's State Border Service by Turkey's Armed Forces.

Azerbaijan and Turkey signed an agreement on joint production of long-range missiles in 2011. The deal envisioned joint production of 107 and 122 mm missiles by an Azerbaijani ministry and Turkish weapons manufacturer Roketsan.

More than 20 Turkish defense industry companies have cooperation and commercial relations with Azerbaijan.