BAKU, December 25, 2025 – Azerbaijan's parliament, the Milli Majlis, approved on Thursday a draft law ratifying a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Strengthening Mutual Military Security with Türkiye, granting legal force to a defense cooperation agreement signed earlier this year. President Ilham Aliyev subsequently signed the law, formalizing the memorandum's implementation under national legislation.
The decision was made during a plenary session, in accordance with Article 95 of the Azerbaijani Constitution, which empowers the parliament to ratify international treaties and agreements. The presidency issued a statement highlighting the vote's outcome and referencing the newly enacted law.
The MoU, titled "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Türkiye on Strengthening Mutual Military Security," was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2025, by Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov and his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler. The signing occurred amid the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2025), underscoring the growing defense industry ties between the two nations.
Lawmakers emphasized that ratification enables institutional mechanisms for enhanced cooperation, including joint military exercises, defense industry collaboration, military education, equipment standardization, and improved interoperability. Arzu Naghiyev, chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Defense, Security, and Anti-Corruption, described the document as deepening the strategic alliance outlined in the 2021 Shusha Declaration. He noted its focus on mutual coordination in military security, joint training, and defense industry projects, while providing frameworks for reciprocal support in defense matters.
The memorandum explicitly aims to safeguard the security, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of both states. It includes provisions for mutual assistance in the event of armed aggression against either party, exercised in line with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter on individual and collective self-defense. Experts have characterized it as defensive in nature, not directed against third parties, and fully compliant with international law.
This ratification builds on longstanding Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations, often summarized by the phrase "one nation, two states." Military cooperation has intensified since the 2020 Second Karabakh War, where Turkish drones and support played a pivotal role in Azerbaijan's victory. The 2021 Shusha Declaration, signed by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the liberated city of Shusha, elevated ties to an allied level, including commitments to mutual military aid and joint modernization of armed forces.
The new MoU operationalizes aspects of the Shusha Declaration at the ministerial level, establishing concrete mechanisms for collaboration. Discussions in parliament highlighted its role in enhancing joint operational readiness and institutionalizing defense ties. The agreement was initially reviewed by the parliamentary defense committee in November, recommended for plenary approval in mid-December, and passed in readings before final ratification.
Regional analysts view the move as signaling a robust security architecture in the South Caucasus amid ongoing peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. With Azerbaijan regaining full control over Karabakh in 2023 and advancing toward a comprehensive peace treaty, strengthened ties with Türkiye are seen as bolstering stability and deterrence.
The memorandum also aligns with broader Turkic cooperation under the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), where defense and security have emerged as key pillars. Similar bilateral frameworks may extend to other member states in the future.
Türkiye's parliament is expected to undertake reciprocal ratification procedures, though no specific timeline has been announced. Joint exercises, such as the ongoing "Caucasus Eagle–2025" involving Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Georgia, demonstrate practical implementation of such agreements.
As geopolitical dynamics evolve in the region—including energy corridors, transport links like the Zangezur route, and post-conflict reconstruction—the formalized military partnership reinforces Azerbaijan and Türkiye's strategic alignment, contributing to regional peace while prioritizing national security interests.
