Turkish and Azerbaijani militaries launched a joint drill in Azerbaijan's Lachin region – which was liberated from Armenian occupation last year – according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.
The joint exercise is being held under the Agreement on Military Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the ministry said in a statement.
The exercise aims to improve interoperability and combat coordination as well as the commanders' military decision-making and unit controlling skills, it noted.
"During the exercises, special attention was paid to improving the skills of using modern military equipment and other military means in difficult terrain," the statement added.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said special naval forces of Turkey and Azerbaijan are continuing with joint training exercises.
The exercises have "participation of underwater offense and underwater defense groups," a statement by the ministry read.
It said that the personnel carried out "combat live-fire exercises to plan operations, neutralize the imaginary enemy and sabotage group, and destroy their temporary base."
"During the exercises with the involvement of boats, the targets of the imaginary enemy were destroyed and the tasks were successfully fulfilled," the readout said.
While the Underwater Offence (Su Altı Taarruz, or SAT) and Underwater Defense (Su Altı Savunma, or SAS) are special naval warfare units of the Turkish Armed Forces; Azerbaijan's special naval warfare unit was established in 2001 with the cooperation of the Turkish Navy.
Ankara last year threw its support behind Baku, whose Nagorno-Karabakh region had remained under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades before finally being liberated last November.
A year ago, clashes erupted between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan when the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, which ended in a truce on Nov. 10, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages in Nagorno-Karabakh from a nearly three-decade occupation. The two countries finally signed a Russia-brokered deal to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive solution.
Moreover, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed the Shusha Declaration. The declaration focuses on defense cooperation, promoting stability and prosperity in the region, and establishing new transportation routes.
The declaration affirms joint efforts by the two armies in the face of foreign threats. It also pledges joint efforts for the restructuring and modernization of their armed forces.
Turkey and Azerbaijan enjoy strong relations, as the two countries embrace the "one nation, two states" motto.
During his presidency, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has visited Azerbaijan more than 20 times, while the delegation visits have reached more than 100.
