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By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani and Turkish officials have focused on prospects for deepening military cooperation between the two countries.

Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov met Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun on August 24, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.

During the meeting, they stressed the importance of holding the tactical exercises titled "TurAz Qartali -2015" with the involvement of the Air Force of the two countries as part of the bilateral military cooperation plan.

The joint military drills of Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces will last till September 18.

Noting the necessity of organization of reciprocal visits of representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces and holding joint exercises, Hasanov hailed the development of cooperation in the military-technical and military education areas.

The officials also discussed military and political situation in the region, and emphasized the importance of the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Afterwards, Ismail Alper Coskun introduced to the minister newly-appointed military attaché of Turkey to Azerbaijan Ihsan Basbozkurt.

Baku and Ankara enjoy strategic relations in many fields, including the military. 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, both 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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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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