Azerbaijani top brass received by Erdogan

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met Azerbaijan's top brass paying an official visit to Ankara, the Defence Ministry reported on September 14.

Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov, First Deputy Defence Minister Karim Valiyev, Turkish National Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and Head of the Turkish General Staff, Army General Yashar Guler attended the meeting on September 14, the ministry added.

Details of the meeting with Erdogan are not provided.

The Azerbaijani senior defence officials’ visit to Turkey started on September 12 at Hulusi Akar's invitation.

As part of the visit, the Azerbaijani and Turkish top brass attended the Distinguished Visitors Day of the TurAz Falcon - 2021 joint flight-tactical exercises held in Konya on September 14.

The Turkish guard of honour greeted the Azerbaijani delegation with a solemn ceremony in the training area.

Afterwards, the guests were briefed about the tasks fulfilled during the TurAz Falcon-2021 tactical drills.

Addressing the servicemen, Hasanov highly appreciated the development of the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations and strategic army building partnership.

Hasanov described the joint drills as crucial for the improvement of knowledge and skills of military pilots.

He also thanked Turkey for its moral and political support to Azerbaijan during the 44-day war in 2020.

"The statements of the political and military leadership of Turkey have shown the whole world that it supports Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood unshakably," Trend quoted Hasanov as saying.

In turn, Akar stressed that the joint drills are important for the improvement of the military personnel’s professional skills and for the development of bilateral military cooperation.

The Turkish defence ministers underlined that Azerbaijani-Turkish military cooperation ensures security and regional stability.

Akar said that the fact that the Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders extended their hand to Armenia and offered to conclude a truce is important for achieving peace and stability, Baku-based news website Day.az said.

"But, unfortunately, the answer was not entirely positive, but there are some points in this matter. Our goal is to live in peace and security. We want Armenia to observe the ceasefire, not to make any mistakes. At the same time, we consider it important that the ceasefire is sustainable and ensures regional stability," Akar was quoted as saying.

It should be noted Azerbaijan and Turkey actively collaborate in various military spheres. Often the air, sea and naval forces of the two countries conduct joint tactical drills.

Azerbaijan’s military pilots are attending the TurAz Falcon - 2021 joint flight and tactical drills that have been underway in Konya since September 2.

The joint exercises, which will last until September 17, aim to improve the interaction between the two countries' army units during combat operations, to develop the commanders' military decision-making and unit management skills.