Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a historic visit to the liberated city of Shusha and signed a historical declaration in the heart of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
In his speech, Ilham Aliyev called the present day historic. “I greet the President of Turkey on behalf of the entire Azerbaijani people in Shusha. The document signed today raises our relations to the highest level. The alliance agreement speaks for itself,” Aliyev said.
The Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations was signed between the two fraternal and friendly countries on a very important date for Azerbaijan – June 15 – the National Salvation Day, 100 years after the Treaty of Kars.
The Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations is of exceptional political and historical significance.
This document, being the logical result of the mutual coordination of the activity of the two fraternal countries to protect common interests, unite opportunities, as well as in regional and international strategic issues of mutual interest, will strengthen the international and regional role of Azerbaijan and Turkey and increase their authority.
The joint initiatives of the two countries to strengthen stability and security, restore all economic and transport ties, as well as normalize relations between the regional countries and ensure sustainable peace in the Caucasus region is the best example demonstrating the need for even bigger efforts in this sphere.
At the same time, the activity of the Turkish-Russian joint center in the Nagorno-Karabakh region attracts attention as an effective mechanism for restoring peace in the region.
The Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations, guided by the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders, non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, is important from the point of view of strengthening political and legal mechanisms for establishing allied relations from both countries pursuing the independent foreign policy aimed at ensuring and protection of national interests.
Besides the fact that Turkey and Azerbaijan, demonstrating solidarity and mutual support on international issues, intensify bilateral cooperation, they also render each other mutual support within the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, OIC, as well as other international and regional organizations.
The document also pays special attention to the promotion of coordinated and joint actions in the political and military spheres, as well as in the field of security from the point of view of common national interests.
In case of a threat or aggression from a third state or states against the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability or security of the internationally recognized borders of any side, it is envisaged to hold joint consultations and come up with initiatives in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter to eliminate this threat or aggression, render the necessary assistance to each other in accordance with the UN Charter, organize the coordinated activity of the security forces and command structures of the armed forces.
The Shusha Declaration emphasizes joint efforts to restructure and modernize the armed forces in accordance with modern requirements, implement the measures aimed at strengthening defense capability and military security, improve the skills of joint activity of the armed forces of the two countries, closely cooperate in using weapons and ammunition based on modern technologies and ensure the appropriate activity of the competent structures and departments for this purpose.
This also includes holding regular joint meetings of the Security Councils of both countries on national security issues to discuss regional and international security issues affecting the national interests of the two countries.
