JUST AN OLD DREAM OR A FUTURE REALITY?

[dBSPL]

A unified Army of Turkiye and Azerbaijan: An old dream or is it a phenomenon that is already happening? Let's discuss​

“In the event that the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security, or the immunity of internationally-recognized borders of either one of the sides is threatened or attacked according to it by a third state or group of states, the two sides will have joint meetings and take initiatives that are in line with the United Nations Charter in order to prevent this threat or attack, and they will provide each other with the necessary aid in line with the UN Charter.

The scope and form of this aid will be determined at promptly summoned meetings, decisions will be made to meet defense needs so that joint measures can be duly taken, and the sides will ensure that the operational and administrative units of the Armed Forces will work in a coordinated manner.”

(June 15, 2021 Shusha. Part of the Shusha Declaration signed by the Turkish and Azerbaijani heads of state)


This provision in the Shusha Declaration has almost the same content as the right to self-defense in Article 51 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, a universal organization, and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a regional organization.

Therefore, the relevant provision in the Shusha Declaration includes the right to self-defense, which allows the other to act immediately in the event of an attack on one of the parties.

In addition, Article 2 of the "Treaty between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkiye on Strategic Partnership and Mutual Assistance", which entered into force on 21 December 2010, stipulates that in the event of an armed raid or military attack by a third state or states against one of the states parties, the other party will assist the attacked state within the framework of the right to individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Therefore, even before the signing of the Shusha Declaration, there was a treaty between the two states regulating the right to self-defense. In this context, the provisions in both treaties have the same content and regulate the common right to self-defense.

In summary, the declaration and the legal infrastructure for the joint self-defense of both states in the event that one of the states enters a conventional war have been completed.

***

While this legal base is being finalized, training, infrastructure and technical cooperation between the Turkish armed forces and the Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as detailed work on the introduction of common standards, are gradually deepening.

The current situation goes far beyond joint planned exercises and coordination activities. Common training, command and control standards have been established. From now on, both Turk armies will be equipped on the same terms, and the use of common equipment will be expanded. In particular, the target of common training standards has been largely achieved and the coordination in both armies is at the highest level.

Along with legal and technical infrastructure, the third important area of work is organizational coordination and its infrastructure. This is a very detailed and challenging area of work, involving the coordination and interoperability of command and control structures, the establishment of joint unified structures, the equipping of rapid reaction units and much more. Since there is not much information available in English about the ongoing work in this area, I will not go into details on this part.

Upon completion of these three pillars, the armies of Turkiye and Azerbaijan will have a joint command and control capability and joint deterrence in a rapid and effective manner, similar to the NATO model. When we reach this stage, there will no longer be a distinction between the Turkiye and Azerbaijan armies; both forces will represent a unified whole. This strong core will form a foundation with its dynamics that will shape the entire Eurasian politics in the coming decades.

 

[Peter66]

A unified Army of Turkiye and Azerbaijan: An old dream or is it a phenomenon that is already happening? Let's discuss​

“In the event that the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security, or the immunity of internationally-recognized borders of either one of the sides is threatened or attacked according to it by a third state or group of states, the two sides will have joint meetings and take initiatives that are in line with the United Nations Charter in order to prevent this threat or attack, and they will provide each other with the necessary aid in line with the UN Charter.

The scope and form of this aid will be determined at promptly summoned meetings, decisions will be made to meet defense needs so that joint measures can be duly taken, and the sides will ensure that the operational and administrative units of the Armed Forces will work in a coordinated manner.”

(June 15, 2021 Shusha. Part of the Shusha Declaration signed by the Turkish and Azerbaijani heads of state)


This provision in the Shusha Declaration has almost the same content as the right to self-defense in Article 51 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, a universal organization, and Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a regional organization.

Therefore, the relevant provision in the Shusha Declaration includes the right to self-defense, which allows the other to act immediately in the event of an attack on one of the parties.

In addition, Article 2 of the "Treaty between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkiye on Strategic Partnership and Mutual Assistance", which entered into force on 21 December 2010, stipulates that in the event of an armed raid or military attack by a third state or states against one of the states parties, the other party will assist the attacked state within the framework of the right to individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Therefore, even before the signing of the Shusha Declaration, there was a treaty between the two states regulating the right to self-defense. In this context, the provisions in both treaties have the same content and regulate the common right to self-defense.

In summary, the declaration and the legal infrastructure for the joint self-defense of both states in the event that one of the states enters a conventional war have been completed.

***

While this legal base is being finalized, training, infrastructure and technical cooperation between the Turkish armed forces and the Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as detailed work on the introduction of common standards, are gradually deepening.

The current situation goes far beyond joint planned exercises and coordination activities. Common training, command and control standards have been established. From now on, both Turk armies will be equipped on the same terms, and the use of common equipment will be expanded. In particular, the target of common training standards has been largely achieved and the coordination in both armies is at the highest level.

Along with legal and technical infrastructure, the third important area of work is organizational coordination and its infrastructure. This is a very detailed and challenging area of work, involving the coordination and interoperability of command and control structures, the establishment of joint unified structures, the equipping of rapid reaction units and much more. Since there is not much information available in English about the ongoing work in this area, I will not go into details on this part.

Upon completion of these three pillars, the armies of Turkiye and Azerbaijan will have a joint command and control capability and joint deterrence in a rapid and effective manner, similar to the NATO model. When we reach this stage, there will no longer be a distinction between the Turkiye and Azerbaijan armies; both forces will represent a unified whole. This strong core will form a foundation with its dynamics that will shape the entire Eurasian politics in the coming decades.

Would a alliance like that be possible with other Turkish states ?