Joint military exercises of Azerbaijan and Turkey are planned and contribute to the strengthening of regional security, told RIA Novosti the official representative of the foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan, Leyla Abdullayeva.
On Monday, the press Secretary of the foreign Ministry of Armenia Anna Naghdalyan said that the decision to announce the Baku Azerbaijani-Turkish military exercises on the day of death of Armenian soldier hampering the efforts of international mediators in the resumption of the peace process. The Azerbaijani defense Ministry earlier announced the holding of a Turkey from July 29 to August 10, a large-scale joint tactical and flight-tactical exercises with live firing with the participation of land forces and the air forces of both countries.
"Joint military exercises of Azerbaijan and Turkey, according to the Ministry of defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan are conducted in accordance with the Agreement on military cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey and in accordance with the annual plan. These exercises serve to enhance coordination and exchange of best practices between the armed forces of the two countries and enhance regional peace and security", – said Abdullayev.
Clash on Armenian-Azerbaijani border continues July 12 and in the adjacent regions of Tavush and Tovuz, bordering also with Georgia and located a few hundred kilometers from Nagorno-Karabakh. Later, the defense Ministry of Azerbaijan stated that the aggravation spread to the line of contact in Karabakh – Aghdam, Khojavand, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Goranboy and Tartar districts. The Armenian defense Ministry, in turn, reports about the shootings only in the Northern section of the border, hundreds of miles away from Karabakh and Nakhichevan AR. The situation in Karabakh remains relatively calm.
According to Baku, the conflict on the border killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including a General. The Armenian side announced the deaths of six soldiers and wounding of nine military and one civilian. Azerbaijan and Armenia blame for the attacks on each other. A number of countries and international organizations expressed concern about the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and urged the parties to dialogue. The Russian foreign Ministry expressed readiness to mediate for the stabilization of the situation in the region.
