BAKU: Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry announced on Monday the beginning of joint military exercises with ally Turkey near the border with Armenia, marking a significant development just weeks after Azerbaijan successfully recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatist forces.
The Defense Ministry stated that the exercises, named “Mustafa Kamal Ataturk 2023,” would involve “up to 3,000” troops and take place in the capital city of Baku, the Nakhichevan exclave situated between Iran and Armenia, as well as in territories recently reclaimed from Armenian separatists. The drills will include the deployment of dozens of artillery weapons and aviation assets, aiming to enhance combat interoperability between the two allies.
Talks Between Azerbaijan and Armenia
The joint exercises occurred simultaneously with diplomatic talks involving Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Iran, and Russia in Tehran, a format initiated by Moscow in 2020. The initiative is widely seen as Moscow’s effort to counteract increasing Western influence in a region it has historically considered its sphere of influence.
While the European Union and the United States have taken a lead role in mediating peace agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent years, Russia, traditionally a mediator in the conflict, has seen its influence diminish amid its focus on the conflict in Ukraine.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated enclave within Azerbaijan, had been a flashpoint for conflict between the two neighboring countries, resulting in two wars in the 1990s and, most recently, in 2020.
