Turkey Ratifies Shushi Declaration

The Turkish Parliament has ratified the Shushi Declaration on military cooperation with Azerbaijan, reports a correspondent from RIA Novosti.

The document was approved by 266 lawmakers. The Shushi Declaration, which was previously submitted to the foreign relations committee for discussion, was highly regarded by the committee and presented in parliament as a historically significant document.

Earlier, the declaration was adopted by the Azerbaijani Parliament. The Shushi Declaration on cooperation is an agreement signed by the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on June 15, 2021. After the signing of the document, Ilham Aliyev stated that it elevates the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey to the highest level.

The declaration entails mutual military assistance and close cooperation in the defense industry. “The allied agreement we signed shows the pathways for our future cooperation, and the declaration emphasizes cooperation at an international level in energy security, the Southern Gas Corridor, economy, trade, culture, and sports, but I want to highlight two areas: cooperation in the defense industry and mutual military assistance,” Aliyev said. He described the declaration as a “historic great achievement.”

Aliyev also talked about the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” stating that “this has been made possible due to the new geopolitical situation created after the Karabakh war.”