Turkish parliament extends deployment of troops to Azerbaijan for one more year

The Turkish parliament has extended for one more year the deployment of troops sent to Azerbaijan in the wake of a fall 2020 conflict with neighbouring Armenia over the Karabakh region.

The extension under a presidential motion will start on November 17.

Ismail Ozdemir, a lawmaker, said that with the support of Türkiye, Azerbaijan managed to end the Armenian occupation of its lands.

Ozdemir said that the will of the Turkish people signifies a guarantee of peace and emphasised their opposition to activities that escalate tensions in all regions.

The Turkish presence at the centre is a requirement of the country's effective and constructive role in the region and national interests, said the motion.

Liberation of Karabakh

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation, ending in a Russian-brokered truce.

The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.