Turkey and Azerbaijan want to strengthen their position in South Caucasus region – Kristina Yermak

Speaking with Alpha News, international affairs expert Kristina Yermak commented on the trilateral meeting of the defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia, which will be held in Ankara.

“Cooperation between the defense ministers of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey has existed for several years now. This year’s meeting marks the twelfth such gathering. If we look at the dynamics of this communication, we see that this type of interaction is aimed at discussing regional security issues. Despite Turkey being a NATO member, and Georgia until recently pursuing active rapprochement with the EU, the three countries agree that discussing regional security and, in principle, a vision for the region’s future should be done without Euro-Atlantic involvement,” Yermak said.

According to the expert, it is worth noting that the results of previous similar meetings were anti-Armenian in nature.

“If we look at the results of previous meetings, they were anti-Armenian in nature and emphasized Armenia’s role as a so-called factor destabilizing regional security. Therefore, from this perspective, communication between the defense ministers is naturally a tool for Turkey and Azerbaijan to strengthen their influence in the region, once again demonstrating their diplomatic strength and ability to influence ongoing processes,” Yermak concluded.