Azerbaijan and Turkey to host joint security conference

Azerbaijan and Turkey will hold an online forum today to discuss enhancing the role of the private sector in their defence industries.

The event is also aimed at expanding cooperation between the two countries’ defence establishments as well as attracting further investment and new technologies. The forum will take place against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Turkey has long supported neighbouring Azerbaijan’s territorial claims in the region, and Turkish military personnel are helping to coordinate the war effort.

The forum is expected to further consolidate military ties between Baku and Istanbul. Indeed, emboldened by Turkish support, Azerbaijan has gained the upper hand in the conflict and, with the help of Turkish produced armed drones, is taking much of the land in the disputed region. This is significant given that previous ceasefire agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan have failed to hold. Still, the two sides are now close to striking a meaningful deal that for the first time directly includes Turkey as a guarantor, making it likely to refrain from deeper military involvement in case the fighting intensifies.