Azerbaijan, Turkey kick off joint military exercises

Visiting Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev (R, front) attends a welcoming ceremony with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L, front) at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, capital of Turkey, on March 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

BAKU, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan and Turkey on Monday started joint live exercises, said the Azerbaijan's defense ministry. 

The military exercises, held in Azerbaijan, will last five days in accordance with an agreement on military cooperation between the two countries.

The military exercises are aimed at improving the interaction between the two armies and sharing the experience through joint headquarters planning, according to the statement of the defense ministry.

The exercises are also expected to improve capabilities of Azerbaijani and Turkish units to conduct military operations.

The drills involve armored vehicles, artillery systems and mortars as well as the military and transport helicopters of the air force and air defense units. 

Military cooperation between the two countries started in 1992 with a bilateral agreement signed on military education. Since then, the two governments have been closely cooperating on defense and security.