Parliament ratifies motion to send Turkish troops to Azerbaijan

ANKARA

The Turkish Parliament has approved a governmental request to deploy the Turkish troops to Azerbaijan to serve at a joint monitoring mission, with Russia tasked to watch and inspect a ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The one-year motion was voted by the strong majority of the lawmakers as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Good (İYİ) Party have all supported the motion. The People’s Democratic Party (HDP) did not vote in favor of the motion.

The Turkish troops to be dispatched to Azerbaijan will work with their Russian counterparts to observe and report the ceasefire between the two rival parties, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which ended their six-week armed conflict through an agreement on Nov. 10. Armenia has accepted to withdraw from Azerbaijani lands, which it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The joint center will be formed after Azerbaijan gives the final decision about the drafted details and working procedures that the Turkish and Russian senior military and civilian officials are working on. The exact position of the center will be determined by Baku.

On Nov. 17, Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar informed that talks between Turkish and Russian authorities were ongoing with hopes to conclude soon.

İsmet Yılmaz, the head of the Parliament Defense Commission from the AKP ranks, recalled that Turkey and Russia would set up this mission upon the request of Azerbaijan. “The presence of the Turkish troops with all its experience to check the ceasefire in the field will constitute an element of trust for Azerbaijan and other parties.”

“The Turkish presence in Azerbaijan and Karabakh is of vital importance for the protection of the historic victory,” he said, adding that Turkey will continue to stand with Azerbaijan.