ISTANBUL

Türkiye and Azerbaijan on Monday began the three-day Mustafa Kemal Ataturk-2023 joint military exercises, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The drills, with the participation of 3,000 military personnel from both countries, are being conducted in various parts Azerbaijan, including the capital Baku, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and territories liberated after a 44-day war with Armenia in the fall of 2020.

Armored vehicles, artillery, aviation and flight equipment, and small boats will be utilized during the exercises.

“Various tasks are performed to use artillery, aviation and other types of troops in combat operations, organize their interaction, build pontoon bridges across rivers and land troops deep into the imaginary enemy,” the ministry said.

The main focus of the exercises is to ensure combat coherence, improving command and control, exchanging experience and increasing the professionalism of the personnel, it added.