Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey plan to expand joint military drills

The 5^th trilateral meeting of the Defense Ministers of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, was held in Batumi (Ajara region), on 23 May.

As Georgian Defense Minister, Levan Izoria, stated at a news conference following the meeting, the plans for holding joint military drills had been laid out.

“We have decades-long experience in carrying out joint training programs in the defense sphere, as well as in conducting joint military drills. Joint exercises are going to be more wide-scale this year: our special operation forces will engage in joint military drills in two weeks, while joint computer-assisted staff-level exercises will be conducted in September this year”, said Defense Minister, Levan Izoria.

The Turkish Defense Minister, Fikri Işık, in turn, stated that Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan were in the focus of the world’s attention in terms of the energy transport corridor. He added that those countries had exemplary interrelations and their cooperation was particularly important for regional development.

The Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Lieutenant-Colonel Zakir Hasanov, emphasized that the trilateral cooperation format is aimed at ensuring security and stability in the region.

The parties reiterated their respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Defense Ministries of Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan have been cooperating in the trilateral format since 2012. The Batumi meeting was already the fifth held in the trilateral format. Georgia hosted the defense ministers’ meeting for a second time.