6 yıl önce

Turkey and Azerbaijan share defence goals

Turkey's alliance with Azerbaijan has long been a part of its foreign policy, a relationship that's so close that officials refer to it as "one nation, two states."

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Finding a resolution to Azerbaijan's conflict with Armenia over Karabakh will likely remain a priority for Turkey, whose president Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) enjoys a good relationship with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev (left).

Turkish and Azerbaijani soldiers often drill together because their two countries share common security interests and adversaries in the Caucasus. In 2010, they also signed a Mutual Defence Pact.

The relationship is especially important for Azerbaijan as it remains locked in a stand-off with Armenia over its occupation of the disputed Karabakh region.

Armenia recently acquired advanced Russian military equipment, so Azerbaijan with Turkey's help, has rapidly modernised and increased its military spending.

Figuring prominently in the two countries' desire to enhance co-operation is the 1992 Khojaly massacre, where Armenian soldiers killed more than 600 Azerbaijani civilians.

"We condemn the illegal occupation of Azerbaijani land and the brutal massacre which took place in Khojaly 26 years ago. The pain of the people of our 'brother country' Azerbaijan is our pain. Our feelings are one," Ismail Kahraman, Speaker of Turkey’s Grand National Assembly says.

Energy projects have also brought the two countries closer together. Azerbaijani officials say they should begin moving billions of additional cubic metres of natural gas from the Caspian Sea into Turkey through the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline by this summer.

TRT World's Oubai Shahbandar travelled to Azerbaijan to find out more on the two countries' mutual energy and defence interests.