Joint Turkish-Azerbaijani military drills to end
Today marks the final day of joint military exercises between Turkey and Azerbaijan in eastern Anatolia near the Turkish-Armenian border.
Today’s drills focus on the operational capabilities of Ankara’s and Baku’s military equipment under harsh winter weather conditions. The winter exercises are the latest sign of deepening ties between the two allies following Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan in its victory against Armenia in the six-week Nagorno-Karabakh war last year. Currently, the Russian-brokered ceasefire that ended the conflict remains in effect within the region.
Turkish military initiatives assisting Azerbaijan have proven to be a significant counterweight to Moscow’s traditional influence in the South Caucasus. Most recently, the opening of a joint military facility in Azerbaijan staffed with an equal number of Russian and Turkish troops is a stark indicator of the grander shifting power balance in the region towards Ankara.
Expect Azerbaijan to further expand its engagement with foreign military contacts—the UK is already signaling interest in assisting Baku’s de-mining initiatives. Furthermore, Baku is likely to further deepen its ties with Ankara in the aftermath of the war as a means of balancing out renewed and potentially pro-Armenia Russian influence in the region.
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