Turkish lawmakers ratify motion to extend deployment of Turkish troops in Azerbaijan

The Turkish parliament on Wednesday ratified a motion to parliament to extend the deployment of Turkish troops in Azerbaijan for one more year.

The Justice and Development (AK) Party, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the opposition Good (IYI) Party backed the motion. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), however, voted against it.

The motion was supposed to be debated in the parliament on Tuesday but to no avail due to a lack of quorum. It allows the Turkish military to carry out cross-border operations in Azerbaijan for another year, from Nov. 17, 2021 until Nov. 17, 2022.

"Turkey, which has strongly supported Azerbaijan from the very beginning of the process so that it can defend all its rights including its territorial integrity on the basis of international law and legitimate sovereign rights, is taking important initiatives for the preservation and strengthening of peace and stability in the region and for the construction and restoration of the economic infrastructure to facilitate this," the motion read.

It added that the joint center in Karabakh by Turkish and Russian armed forces continues its activities successfully.

LIBERATION OF KARABAKH

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces, and violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

The fighting ended with a Russia-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.