Azerbaijan on Thursday launched joint military exercises with Turkish troops aimed at increasing "combat effectiveness"of the two countries' military, the Caucasus nation said.

The drills came after Ankara last year backed Baku in a war with Armenia over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey's arms supplies -- such as Bayraktar combat drones -- helped Azerbaijan's army win a decisive victory in a six-week war against Armenia.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan hosted joint drills with Turkish troops, the defence ministry in Baku said without specifying the number of troops involved.

Conducted at various training grounds in Azerbaijan, the two-day manoeuvres are aimed at increasing the "combat effectiveness of operational units of the Azerbaijani and Turkish armies," the defense ministry said in a statement.

Ankara was accused of dispatching mercenaries from Syria to bolster Baku's army, but denied the charge.

Six weeks of fighting that broke out last September have claimed the lives of some 6,000 people and ended in November with a Russian-brokered ceasefire that saw Armenia cede to Baku swathes of territory it had controlled since 1990s.

During a military parade in Baku last December, Turkey paraded its drones, with Turkish television saying they had "turned the tide" of the Karabakh war.

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China sentences Uyghur ex-government officials to death for 'separatism'
Beijing (AFP) April 7, 2021
Two Uyghur former government officials in China's Xinjiang have been handed death sentences for carrying out "separatist activities", a court said, as Beijing comes under increasing fire for its actions towards minority groups in the region. Shirzat Bawudun, a former head of the Xinjiang department of justice has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on the charge of "splitting the country", according to a statement released Tuesday on the Xinjiang government website. Bawudun had cons ... read more