Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia to hold military drills

The trilateral meeting of Defense Ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey was held in the city of Gabala, Azerbaijan on May 15.

Azerbaijani minister Zakir Hasanov, Georgian minister Tinatin Khidasheli and the National Defence Minister of Turkey Ismet Yilmaz held one-on-one and trilateral negotiations. Three sides also discussed the multilateral relations and regional security issues.

Zakir Hasanov, Defense Minister of Azerbaijan said, “In order to increase combat capabilities and readiness of the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian armed forces we considered it appropriate to hold joint military exercises. We also stressed the need for close cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and the protection of oil and gas pipelines. I think this is why we should have joint military exercises,” Sputnik reports.

During the joint press conference, Hasanov thanked Turkish and Georgian counterparts and told journalists, “We intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in the defense sector. It will become a legal basis for our trilateral cooperation and will become the basis for a new stage of our trilateral cooperation. We are planning new projects in the future based on this format.”

The first meetings of military cooperation among three countries were held in 2013. Other two meetings were held in Nakhchivan and Tbilisi.