Türkiye and Azerbaijan on Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Shusha Declaration, elevating their ties to an alliance, an ongoing process highlighted with a string of concrete steps. The two countries have enjoyed warm ties from time immemorial, but their formal alliance was put into the text with the Shusha Declaration signed on June 15, 2021, by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, in the eponymous city of Azerbaijan. Since the declaration that elevated the status of strategic partnership, countries joined forces for cooperation for regional peace, solidarity and development.
The declaration is a testament to the comprehensive cooperation that will be maintained in all strategic fields, particularly national security. It envisions reinforcing partnership in many fields, from the military and defense industry to energy and transportation, from the economy to humanitarian relations. More importantly, the declaration affirmed joint action against threats and attacks against the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and border security of any one of the countries. Political pundits say the declaration is a turning point for reinforcing regional peace, security and cooperation.
