Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has proposed the development of defense cooperation among Turkic states, while also denying he is proposing the creation of a military organization.
In an interview with Azerbaijani television outlets released late Monday, Aliyev recalled his proposal at the 12th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) last October to hold joint military exercises among the organization's members.
He highlighted the importance of bolstering one's military potential, arguing there is "no such thing as international law in today's world."
He said no country or leader should do "anything wrong, should not set their sights on the territorial integrity of any country, should not occupy any country," while advocating for military power so that "no one should even think of harming you and getting away with that."
"That is why we are increasing our power, including our military power. We cooperate with Türkiye in the format of a formal alliance, including a military alliance … However, it would be good if the Turkic states, which are our family, also started cooperating in this direction," Aliyev said.
He, however, clarified that he is not proposing the creation of any military organization. "We are now simply cooperating in the energy sector, in the transport sector, in trade, investment, in many areas. Why not cooperate in this area as well?"
"Considering that this is the number one issue for all countries today, my proposal is valid. We are now sending our messages through various diplomatic channels. If there is a general agreement, then we will see these exercises this year," he added.
In his address at the 12th OTS summit, held in the Azerbaijani city of Gabala, Aliyev proposed holding joint military exercises among its member states in 2026, considering what he described as "extensive cooperation between our countries in military, defense, and security areas."
The OTS, formerly the Turkic Council, is an international platform for Turkic countries to work together to strengthen relations and ties in all spheres.
Its members are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, while Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have observer status.
- GAZA PEACEKEEPING FORCE
In response to a question on whether Azerbaijan's potential participation in any "stabilization operations" in Gaza is being considered, Aliyev confirmed Baku has received such requests, but that they must clearly understand what its mandate might be and what kind of operations it might involve before making a decision on the issue.
"Regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, in our view, it remains unclear who will issue the mandate and what its nature will be," Aliyev said, expressing Azerbaijan has never considered participating in "peace enforcement."
"We have never participated in combat operations, and I would not consider participating in combat operations outside of Azerbaijan at all," he added.
Aliyev expressed surprise over remarks late last year by US Representative to the UN Mike Waltz on Azerbaijan "signing up" to join a proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, saying Baku did not give consent to its participation.
In this context, Aliyev said, Azerbaijan informed the US administration through diplomatic channels that "such false statements are unacceptable and create a false impression."
"We compiled a questionnaire of more than 20 questions and submitted it to the American side. Until these questions are clarified, no participation by Azerbaijan in any mission is envisioned," he said.
Envisioned in US President Donald Trump's 20-point ceasefire plan, the ISF is a multinational peacekeeping force set to be deployed to oversee reconstruction and security efforts in the Gaza Strip, which has been decimated by Israel's two-year assault.
"I don't want US troops in there, the Israeli troops going back in means full war and not going to normalization, and that's a problem. So we're going to have an international force, countries like Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and others that are signed up to do that," Waltz told the Hugh Hewitt Show on Dec. 22.
